Ponty Taxi Marshalls To Safeguard Passengers
January 18, 2009
Pontypridd’s taxi services are to be marshalled by specially-trained staff as part of the ongoing commitment to ensure the town remains a safe place to live, work and visit.
Crime-fighting partners that comprise the Rhondda Cynon Taf Community Safety Partnership have joined forces with taxi firms in order to introduce the important pilot scheme.
The partnership has enabled the deployment of fully trained and authorised marshals to the main taxi collection and drop-off point outside the town’s train station.
It has long been recognised that the area can be a “flash point” for crime and disorder as scores of people gather there at the end of an evening in order to consume fast food and wait for a cab home.
As well as ensuring crowds are managed as they wait and that customers are ferried into cabs smoothly and fairly, the marshals will also be able to protect the safety of taxi drivers and support the ongoing work of identifying and removing rogue cabbies.
The marshals, who are Security Industry Agency (SIA) registered work in the town on busy weekend nights in partnership with police and council Licensing staff who are striving to reduce alcohol related crime and disorder, and create a legal, responsible and safe night-time economy in Pontypridd.
Cllr John David, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “This is an important scheme and one that has only been made possible thanks to the work of the partner agencies, including the taxi and private hire drivers.
“It is something those who work in the night-time economy in Pontypridd have been calling for and I am pleased the partnership has secured the funding needed to make it happen.
“The area in which the marshals work has the potential to be a hot spot for crime and disorder due to the sheer number of people who gather there at the end of an evening.
“Many are worse for wear as a result of alcohol and this can lead to physical and verbal conflict over issues such as who is next in line for a taxi. Such gatherings can also lead to unpleasant scenes in terms of discarding fast food, urinating in public and so on.
“The marshals, with the support of police, will manage this situation and also provide protection for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, for whom such a working atmosphere cannot be nice.
“The marshals will also assist in the ongoing work to deal with rogue cab drivers, who put the public and legal firms at risk with their illegal activities.”
Chief Insp Richard Erskine, who heads Community Safety in Rhondda Cynon Taf on behalf of South Wales Police, added: “This is an important scheme that can only help us make Pontypridd a safe, vibrant and attractive place in the evenings.
“The marshals will enable us to further manage the large crowds of people who gather in this area of the Tumble at the end of an evening, working to ensure they wait their turn in an orderly manner and are ferried onto transport safely.
“It will prevent conflict and also protect the customers and the taxi and private hire drivers, who do not deserve to be exposed to disorder or anti-social behaviour on any level as they are working.
“The presence of marshals will complement the existing measures in place, such as high profile policing at key times, including the Ponty After Dark operations on Saturdays, CCTV, working with premises to ensure they take responsibility for the behaviour of their patrons and the ongoing rogue cabbie crackdown.”
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