Taxi drivers in Bradford are being urged to keep their eyes peeled for crooks who are resorting to calling cabs to help them carry out their illegal activities.

With large numbers of unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles being taken from the roads, there is evidence to suggest that growing numbers of offenders are using taxis and private hire vehicles to travel to and from crime scenes, often to transport stolen property, drugs or other contraband items.

The initiative, the largest-ever run by Crimestoppers, hopes to encourage the 18,133 licensed taxi drivers in West Yorkshire to report crimes.

Taxi drivers can make one call to Crimestoppers and pass on the information without any risk of the subject finding out, without making a statement or going to court.

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In return Crimestoppers offer rewards of up to £1,000 for information that leads to people being arrested and charged and property or drugs being recovered.

Around 50,000 cards, in English and Urdu, have been sent to registered taxi drivers in the Yorkshire and Humber area.

Ian Froggett, regional co-ordinator for Crimestoppers, said: "Taxi drivers can make their business safer by getting involved in this scheme.

"The idea is to give taxi drivers a chance to say what they know, without saying who they are and they will never need to go to court or make a statement."

Taxi drivers can be a mine of extremely valuable information by virtue of being out and about 24/7, said Mr Froggett.

Chief Inspector Michael Hanks, of Bradford North Police, said: "We know that criminals use all sorts of transport, including taxis, to go to and from crime scenes and that taxi drivers will inadvertently see incidents.

"We wholeheartedly support this scheme and in terms of intelligence and information we hope it will reduce crime."

But cabbies reacted with caution to the scheme.

Bradford taxi driver Mohommed Shabir said: "It might reduce crime, but I am not sure how it will work."

And a Bradford taxi driver, who did not wish to be identified, said: "If I report someone in my cab doing something illegal, and he knows he used my cab for a certain job, he's going to know it was me that reported him.

"It doesn't seem very safe. I mean, there are some really dangerous people about."

David Webster, Bradford Council's head of business service, said: "We would hope that taxi drivers would do their bit and report any criminal activity they become aware of to Crimestoppers."
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