Taxi drivers in Liverpool and Sefton are working with Merseyside police to tackle serious crime.
Cabbies are piloting an alert system which means appeals for help can be sent on text messages to the drivers' communication screen.

Merseycabs, Delta Taxis and Seaforth Radio Cabs will receive the descriptions and registration numbers of vehicles the police want to trace.

Delta says the scheme has been working informally for a while.

About 2,000 taxi drivers have signed up for the scheme.

It is being trialled in Liverpool and Sefton, but it is hoped it will be rolled out across the rest of the Merseyside region in the near future.

Out and about

Supt Ian Pilling, who helped set up the scheme, said: "Taxi drivers are valuable members of our community, they are our eyes and ears across Merseyside."

The police said cabbies had been helping them with information in an informal way for some time by calling in when they spotted an incident taking place.

A taxi driver for six years, Mr McLoud is one of the hundreds of drivers taking part in Taxi Alert.

He said: "I think it is a great idea and I am pleased to be taking part. We already regularly work with police because we are out and about, we see things as they are unfolding.

"This is just an extension of what we do already."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6576255.stm

Good idea, but look at it another way, doing the bobbies job for them

I think there's only one way to look at it - there's the good guys and the bad guys so more power to their elbow. With rising crime, i'd also have our troops that are out in no mans lands back home helping out too so there'd be no need for redundancies even without other peoples wars to fight, oh good quality cctv everywhere and i.d. cards - let's eliminate illegal immigrant criminality too.

I think there's only one way to look at it - there's the good guys and the bad guys so more power to their elbow. With rising crime, i'd also have our troops that are out in no mans lands back home helping out too so there'd be no need for redundancies even without other peoples wars to fight, oh good quality cctv everywhere and i.d. cards - let's eliminate illegal immigrant criminality too.

Right ON, power to the people :-)
Seriously, Iam all for more crime prevention, such as better CCTV, ID cards
etc, but why use civilians to do the job of the police ?.

There is a drawback of course, Taxi drivers who are criminals. If they get wind that an accomplices car is wanted by the police, he could pass the info onto him allowing the person to evade the law.

In answer to your question ''Why use civilians to do the job of the police'' I would simply say, we are all civilians and the law abiding ones should be doing the job of the police anyway as a matter of fact. I think beaurocracy and red tape initiated by the government forever wanting league tables, figures and clear-up rates renders a lot of the police to become office typists. We should get rid of the us and them syndrome as we never know when we'll be requiring their services ourselves one day.

In answer to your question ''Why use civilians to do the job of the police'' I would simply say, we are all civilians and the law abiding ones should be doing the job of the police anyway as a matter of fact. I think beaurocracy and red tape initiated by the government forever wanting league tables, figures and clear-up rates renders a lot of the police to become office typists. We should get rid of the us and them syndrome as we never know when we'll be requiring their services ourselves one day.

You are correct, but by using ordinary people to do the work of the police
is sort of defeating the object of getting more bobbies on the streets.
I agree that far to many police officers are trapped by reams of paperwork
but it boils down to money, or lack of. There are as you well know civilian
police workers, ie, custody officer, soco,s, control room staff, but still there
is to much goings on that keep officers off the streets, or as you rightly
say, " red tape". Let us see what the outcome of the taxi driver idea is.

In answer to your question ''Why use civilians to do the job of the police'' ...

Ged, good question, but I think that is not something new in this news.
I am working in private safety since somes years ago and I have somes friends who are ertzainas, they are the special polices of the Basque Country. Taxidrivers were help to the police all the time here.

I think the same thing that your, a civil person does not have to realize policeman's tasks. But I see it from another point of view. The taxi drivers are civil, as citizens, are forced to communicate any event to the authorities. They cross the whole city, they are forced to communicate any strange situation as citizens, like you. Simply to report, not to interfere.

3 years ago I was going in my motorcycle in the night. I had gone out of working and was very late. In the night there is no traffic, so the people do not notice to the signs and semaphores. I was driving for a principal avenue, ahead I was leading a taxi. A car skipped the semaphore and wound to the taxi, which hit against a sign. Lucky, I memorized the matriculation and stopped to call for telephone and to help the taxi driver and to the passenger, that they were in a bad way. When the police came, already tens of taxis had come. I said the registration number and the description of the car and the driver to the police. The car belong to a boy who was living in a village near the city. Rapidly the taxi drivers communicated by the issuers, located the car.

I think that they do not have to realize the task of the police. But they must communicate information to the police, like I and that you. Though it is differently, to force them to patrol the city, looking for a delinquent. I have not understood well the news. if you can tell to me... they simply have been warned on the event, or if they are forcing them to patrol the city?? in the second case, it does not correct. If there is no sufficient policeman to realize the tasks, the town hall should contract more policemen, but not abuse the civil ones, which can run risk.

This idea is OK as long as the taxi drivers don't get involved, and just report
location, reg number etc, let's face it how many times have we heard what
happens to people who do get involved, ie grassing on people

It's like, if you're passing a bin in the street and spot a suspicious package or overhear something on a train - do you turn a blind eye, report it - even anonymously - or forget it then never forgive yourself if something happens.