12/10/11…Council concerned about criminal taxi drivers

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council is concerned about the proposal in the Government’s Mason Report that could see the removal of the requirement for Hackney Carriage/Private Hire drivers to undergo an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check.

The council fears that the proposed change could lead to unsuitable people with criminal records being granted licences as inadequate checks have been carried out.

The council is to call on the Home Office to ensure that when it responds to proposals in the Mason Report that the requirement for Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks for Hackney Carriage/Private Hire drivers is maintained.

The government is proposing to stop enhanced criminal record (CRB) checks – meaning taxi and mini cab drivers will only be prevented from getting a licence if they have a relevant conviction. General information about their criminal records will not be provided.

A Home Office spokeswoman is quoted (in the Huffington Post) as stating that taxi drivers did not always need to go through enhanced checks: “The law has not changed,” she said. “All taxi drivers are still required to undergo a standard criminal record check which will reveal details of any convictions, cautions and warnings held by police.”