Raid on illegal minicabs ends in 25 arrests

THE shocking scale of illegal mini-cab activity in the West End was revealed in a police operation at the weekend.

Police checks found 28 cabs being driven without a private hire licence, nine of which were unroadworthy.

A total of 25 drivers were arrested, nearly all of them of illegal cabs. Five were held for illegal touting for business and others were arrested for drink driving, immigration offences and assault.

More than 100 police, community support officers and traffic wardens descended on the West End in the early hours of Saturday and yesterday in a high-visibility operation to crack down on the illegal cab trade.

Officers checked a total of 250 vehicles focusing on touting "hotspots" such as Haymarket and Strand.

The operation - organised by Transport for London and the Met - also included roadside safety checks on vehicles.

Nine cars were seized because they were unroadworthy for a variety of reasons including suspect brakes and no suspension. One source said: "Essentially some of these drivers are using junk cars. These illegal mini-cab operators are a danger, they are using unroadworthy vehicles and they are undermining the licensed cab trade."

Some drivers are also believed to be using illegal cabs to carry out sex attacks on women passengers.

Police say the arrests were made even though the high-visibility operation was designed more to deter touts.

Inspector David Brown said: "This operation was extremely successful. The cab enforcement unit made its presence felt and I believe we sent out a message that if you commit these offences you will be arrested and prosecuted."

Mayor Boris Johnson ordered a crackdown on illegal mini-cab touting after his election last year.

He doubled the number of dedicated cab enforcement officers to 68 and launched a "one-strike" rule which meant that any licensed driver convicted of touting would immediately have his or her licence revoked.

He said today: "The safety and security of people travelling around London is a top priority, and during the election I promised to crack down on the illegal touts that put the lives of Londoners and visitors in danger.

"I want everyone to be able to enjoy a good night out without being preyed upon by these illegal touts Not only can they be dangerous individuals, but their cars can also be uninsured death-traps. We are doing all we can to stop them, and partygoers can make themselves safer by using our fantastic Cabwise text service, which quickly provides the numbers for safe licensed taxi and minicab companies in the area."

The operation came after hundreds of black cabs blockaded streets in the West End this month in protest at a council plan to allow mini-cabs to use a bus stop as a cab rank in the evenings.