Police force and three councils link up to tackle taxi drivers plying for trade illegally
Seven taxi drivers have been convicted of plying for trade illegally, following an operation that involved the cooperation of Staffordshire Police and three separate councils in the area.
The police force said that a prosecution that took place at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in March saw all seven drivers plead guilty to plying for hire when not licensed and driving without insurance.
As a result, each driver was handed six penalty points on their driving licence, a fine of between £700 and £1,200, and has been referred to the relevant local authority's taxi licensing committee for a decision over whether they are allowed to continue to work as drivers in the future.
The drivers were identified as part of a "pro-active" operation which saw the police work with Stafford Borough Council, Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
The operation required a council officer, purporting to be a member of the public, to climb into each taxi as a passenger before being pulled over by a roads policing vehicle at a nearby checkpoint, where it was demonstrated that the driver was operating illegally.
Each driver was identified as not possessing the correct insurance for operating as a taxi and plying for trade ahead of the operation.
The court heard how the men each plied for trade without being booked in advance, which meant they were not insured to carry out the subsequent journeys.
PC Martin Randle of Staffordshire Police's Road Policing Team, who organised the operation, said: "This was a lengthy case that involved multiple individuals who were found to have put the public at risk by driving without insurance in order to supplement their income illegally.
"Though we understand times are tough for a lot of people at the moment, it is not acceptable to put the public in danger and I'm pleased the drivers admitted their offending in court."
Adam Carey
