‘One sex complaint a week’ against Oz cabbies
By ANISunday, July 4, 2010
SYDNEY - An average of one sex complaint against a taxi driver is lodged every week, according to figures from Transport NSW.
Transport NSW is now introducing three compulsory cameras in cabs to prevent such incidents.
Even though taxis are considered to be the safest form of public transport, 20 sexual complaints were made to cab companies in the first five months of 2010.
Six were upheld but only one was reported to police.
“‘Three cameras are required under the new specifications because they provide greater security for passengers and the driver,” a Transport NSW spokesman said.
Paired with a GPS tracking devices and information sharing with police, the extra cameras would “mean that even without a licence-plate number, information such as pick-up and drop-off locations and times are enough to identify the taxi in which an incident has occurred,” reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Sexual support workers said the number of complaints against taxi drivers would only represent about 15 per cent of the total cases.
“It is never easy to report sexual assault,” NSW Rape Crisis Centre manager Karen Willis said.
“The key is making the offenders responsible and challenging their behaviour, not telling woman to live their lives in fear,” he added.
Transport NSW said ‘all complaints of a sexual nature were taken extremely seriously and investigated.’ (ANI)
