On Taxis And The Crime Wave

SENIOR Police and traffic officials have now confirmed what many suspected for some time now – that increasingly taxis are being used as getaway vehicles in the commission of crimes in and around the city, and it is high time to do something about it.

City Police Chief Abraham Kanime was recently quoted as saying that ‘four out of five cases’ of crime handled by members of his force involved taxis and that this had become a ‘real concern’.Either the taxis are used by thieves who break into homes and businesses, to transport the loot; or they assist in the commission of armed robberies; and taxi drivers themselves are often accomplices when passengers are robbed in such vehicles and are often left stranded, an also not-infrequent occurrence in the city’s streets.It would seem against this background that there is need for great urgency for Parliament to pass and enact the Public Transport Bill, which among others would see taxis have a uniform colour for easier identification, and which would also deal with the issue of taxis falling under local authorities, so that licences could be reviewed. According to Kanime, currently taxi licences are ‘forever’, and something clearly needs to be done about that. Bringing taxis under the jurisdiction of local authorities would probably facilitate better monitoring of these vehicles in the future.Another problem area stressed by Kanime is that vehicles impounded when caught in the commission of a crime often need to be returned to the owners, most of whom are not the drivers of the vehicle when the incident occurs.This also needs to be closely scrutinised. Owners of taxis should be accountable if their vehicles are misused, and legislation needs to be enacted to ensure that this happens. The problem will never be solved if both owners and drivers are aware that the vehicle cannot be confiscated, and it will be a case of business as usual. There needs to be a deterrent factor otherwise the Police cannot possibly hope to bring an end to this kind of criminal activity.Controls are also vital in this process. Presently we are aware that there are legitimately registered taxis and of course, pirate taxis, and the latter also need to be taken off the streets of our country as soon as possible. While it appears as though not only pirate taxis are used in the commission of crimes, they probably make up a fairly substantial number, and taking them off the streets may help reduce the high incidence of crime involving taxis.It stands to reason that any taxi driver assisting criminals, if found guilty, should among others forfeit his driver’s licence. The Namibia Bus and Taxi Association needs to assist the Police in the monitoring of these vehicles as well as their drivers, and blacklist those who have been convicted of crimes in the past.The recent announcement by the City Council of the use of CCTV cameras in the future would probably also help towards ameliorating crime of this kind.Citizen awareness is also of vital assistance to the Police. Namibians must learn not to turn the other cheek when they hear about, or witness firsthand, a criminal activity taking place. Kanime emphasised this aspect, saying that the Police could not be everywhere and therefore it is vital that the public gets involved in trying to restore safety to city streets.Traffic and other police also need to pull over many of these vehicles for spot-checks, at least while the wave of crime involving taxis continues. Honest owners and drivers may not like this to be happening on an ongoing basis, but if it is part of the price we need to pay for having safer streets and transportation, then so be it. At least then the city and traffic police could also conduct checks for illegal and/or fake licence plates, which are probably frequently used to cover the taxis’ tracks when used in the commission of crimes.Finally we would urge our legislative authorities to see to it that the Public Transport Bill will be passed as soon as possible to hurry the colour identification of taxis and enable our law enforcement officers to do their work in apprehending taxi criminals and to enable them to confiscate such vehicles when they are involved in illegal activities.