Derby residents are being asked if they have any privacy concerns should CCTV cameras be installed in taxis. A consultation has been launched seeking people’s thoughts on increasing safety in taxis for both passengers and drivers across Derby, via the setting up of cameras.
The public consultation was expected to happen following meetings held by Derby City Council’s licensing committee before Christmas.
The consultation asks Derby people on their thoughts of installing CCTV cameras inside hackney carriages as well as private-hire cabs for which are also licensed by Derby City Council. The results of the consultation will reveal if there is a need for CCTV cameras in taxis in the city and whether the council needs to act in any way.
The idea of CCTV cameras in taxis and Private Hire Vehicles was first introduced as a part of the Statutory Taxi & Private Hire Standards released by the Government in 2020. One of the questions in the Derby City Council online survey asks residents: ”How concerned are you about privacy issues if CCTV is installed in licensed vehicles?”.
The council also asks people whether CCTV cameras in Derby taxis should be mandatory, voluntary or if it shouldn’t be allowed at all. Recently, councillors in North Derbyshire made it mandatory for CCTV cameras to be installed. People are also being asked whether the cost of a CCTV camera would change their views depending on whether the CCTV camera would cost up to £250, £500 or as high as £1,000.
A Derby City Council report published last year on the issue said “Any CCTV system would be required to be of a high specification so that images were clear enough for use in any litigious (legal or court) purpose.
