Man, 26, arrested in taxi stabbing case (From Echo)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us »
Man, 26, arrested in taxi stabbing case
9:10am Wednesday 15th February 2012 in News By Gina Marden
A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing a taxi driver during a robbery.
The arrest came as officials from the taxi industry called on Basildon and Essex County councils to stump up cash to pay for CCTV in cabs.
Dave Downton, chairman of the Private Hire Association, in Basildon, said the stabbing had left drivers across the borough worried for their safety.
He said he plans to raise the issue of CCTV being installed in cabs at the next licensing meeting held by Basildon Council.
Mr Downton said: “This attack has completely outraged the taxi driving fraternity. Everybody has been sickened that such a vicious assault has been carried out on a driver.
“We have had taxi drivers robbed before, but we have never had anyone stabbed.
“We all stick together and all we can hope is the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
An Echo story yesterday explained how the 31-year-old taxi driver, who works for A&B Taxis, picked up two men in Redgrave Road, Vange.
He dropped them at a car park in Oldwyk, Vange, where they launched their savage attack.
They were joined by two other men. They stabbed the driver in the shoulder before stealing his takings and the keys to his Skoda Octavia, at 11pm, on Friday.
The man was taken to Basildon Hospital and is now recovering at home.
Mr Downton added: “CCTV being put in cabs was mentioned some time ago and nothing was done about it, but I think there now needs to be a rethink.
“We absolutely cannot allow anything like this to happen again. I’m just pleased the police have made an arrest.”
Bosses at A&B Taxis have now put up a £2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
A 26-year-old man from Basildon has been arrested on suspicion of robbery. He has been bailed until March.
All four robbers were described as black men.
Witnesses to the attack can contact Basildon CID on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
Comments(6)
see what i mean
says...
7:18pm Wed 15 Feb 12
Brunning999
says...
8:11am Thu 16 Feb 12
MaxSteel wrote:Only someone who is welfare dependent and completely brain washed by Labour Governments since the war would make a selfish comment like that.
Why dont the council use money to put cctv in cabs instead of paying a "security firm" to catch litter bugs? All of them black? This will only happen more often as we are having to accomodate more and more people from other areas. There isnt many groups of blacks in basildon so it shouldnt be too hard to find them
Why should ALL of my hard working family have to pay to put CCTV in a bloody taxi !!!!!
We already are sick to death about having to pay increased taxes for the massive socialist state.
Let the taxi companies pay themselves.
katch22
says...
2:45pm Sat 18 Feb 12
The council of course charge cab drivers a fee to be able to apply their trade so maybe it follows they should allow a discount in that fee so the individual can make his work place safe.
It could be rather than pay, in way of a discount, for CCTV to make the work place a safe place for the driver, the council might see fit to actually change their conditions of being able to drive people from A to B, and force the driver to instal CCTV for the benefit of the passenger and of course council coffers.
One thing seems to be overlooked by people is the way the council has complete control over what people can and cant do!
The council are paid to keep the area ticking over, ie bins collected, area policed, etc etc but somewhere along the line they have taken on roles to demand money of people without any agreement from the people.
Who sat down with the council to decide where yellow lines should be situated for example? Who from the people sit down to decide what the council tax rates should be and for what?
There are many examples like this where the council have unbidden taken on the role of rule maker and judicator if rule is broken.
Do people have sway over the council? The elected councillors? They are local politicians who really seem to be representing the council to the people and not the people to the council.
How many people can say if the majority of the people disagreed with a council plan action the council would take notice of that and change the plan? It doesn't happen. People have signed up to living by council rules by asking the council to work for them. Its the employee in charge of the employer.
Just a thought.
lawgav
says...
11:27pm Tue 28 Feb 12
Brunning999 wrote:Really!!!! I'm sure you wouldnt be saying that if it was a family member of your's WOULD YOU...... Yes the council should help put CCTV into taxi's... All cab drivers work hard to pay for there cabs that we All use... Really Brunning999 Think before you start typing as i'm sure the cab drivers family is devestated that this has happened to him while he was out WORKING HARD to earn a living just as we all are.... Yes a tad upset with your comment as it was my BROTHER that got stabbed by the Blacks yet again....
MaxSteel wrote:Only someone who is welfare dependent and completely brain washed by Labour Governments since the war would make a selfish comment like that.
Why dont the council use money to put cctv in cabs instead of paying a "security firm" to catch litter bugs? All of them black? This will only happen more often as we are having to accomodate more and more people from other areas. There isnt many groups of blacks in basildon so it shouldnt be too hard to find them
Why should ALL of my hard working family have to pay to put CCTV in a bloody taxi !!!!!
We already are sick to death about having to pay increased taxes for the massive socialist state.
Let the taxi companies pay themselves.
info-cabs
says...
3:02pm Thu 1 Mar 12
lawgav wrote:Hope your brother is kay Lawgav. Just to reiterate yesterdays comments. Info-Cabs Limited in Thurrock has offered to install it's CCTV camera systems into Basildon taxi's? Info-Cabs offer the most comprehensive and secure vehicle CCTV systems on the market and provides free data control management. From April 2012, rental of the taxi CCTV systems will be £6.00 per week which includes supply, install maintenance and data management. Thats less than £1 per day! Call us to find out more!
Brunning999 wrote:Really!!!! I'm sure you wouldnt be saying that if it was a family member of your's WOULD YOU...... Yes the council should help put CCTV into taxi's... All cab drivers work hard to pay for there cabs that we All use... Really Brunning999 Think before you start typing as i'm sure the cab drivers family is devestated that this has happened to him while he was out WORKING HARD to earn a living just as we all are.... Yes a tad upset with your comment as it was my BROTHER that got stabbed by the Blacks yet again....
MaxSteel wrote:Only someone who is welfare dependent and completely brain washed by Labour Governments since the war would make a selfish comment like that.
Why dont the council use money to put cctv in cabs instead of paying a "security firm" to catch litter bugs? All of them black? This will only happen more often as we are having to accomodate more and more people from other areas. There isnt many groups of blacks in basildon so it shouldnt be too hard to find them
Why should ALL of my hard working family have to pay to put CCTV in a bloody taxi !!!!!
We already are sick to death about having to pay increased taxes for the massive socialist state.
Let the taxi companies pay themselves.
MaxSteel says...
12:13pm Wed 15 Feb 12