Plans to make CCTV mandatory in Peterborough taxis go out to consolation

Peterborough City Council has begun a consultation on whether it should become mandatory for all taxis and private hire vehicles licensed in the city to have CCTV.

The consultation comes following guidance issued by the Home Office in 2020 with a focus on protecting passengers.

The consultation has put forward some pros and cons of the changes and can be responded to on the council website.

Pros

- Deterring and preventing the occurrence of crime

- Reducing the fear of crime

- Assisting the council and police in investigating incidents and allegations of crime

- Assisting insurance companies in investigating incidents of crime

Cons

- Privacy concerns for licensed drivers and passengers

- Cost implications for owners of licensed vehicles

- Possible reduction in licensed vehicles

- Possible increase in 'out of area' licensed vehicles (licensed by a different authority and not subject to CCTV requirements)

If approved, the cost to purchase, install and annually maintain the CCTV equipment would fall to the owner of the vehicle.

The approximate cost of commercially available CCTV systems which meet the proposed technical specification is in the region of £400 to £800 per vehicle.

Installation costs vary, however, on average, the cost is approximately £120 to £200 per vehicle according to the council.

Drivers would be required to have their CCTV on whenever they are ‘on duty’ waiting on a rank, when going to collect a fare and returning from a drop off, even though no passengers are in the vehicle. An exemption may be applied for speciality and executive vehicles.

The driver would be able to switch off the CCTV when the vehicle is 'off duty' and being used solely for social and domestic purposes.

The consultation will run for ten weeks and will end on January 12.