Chief Inspector Brian Gibson and Inspector Andrew Small unveiled the city centre policing plan for the festive period - and both officers have warned would-be criminals they will be locked up at Stewart Street for Christmas if they break the law.
Chief Inspector Gibson said: “The officers at Glasgow City Centre police office are absolutely ready.
“We have done the background work on what we have dealt with before during the festive period
“We have linked with all our partners including the licensing trade, Glasgow City Council and Community Safety Glasgow.
“We know what to expect and we have the appropriate level of officers out there to ensure that people have a fantastic time, enjoy themselves but keep safe.”
Inspector Andrew Small, who is also based at Stewart Street police office, confirmed an additional 50 police officers will take on the city centre beat during Fridays and Saturdays throughout the festive period.
Those cops will come from sub division offices from across the city and will cover the busiest festive hotspots including Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street, George Square, Royal Exchange Square and the Four Corners area.
In addition, the new city centre problem solving teams, who officially began their roles in November, will also be tackling festive crime issues.
The two teams of 26 officers will be in plain clothes and uniform to address any of the issues that may arise.
Chief Inspector Brian Gibson said: “My problem solving team are out there working in plain clothes and uniform.
“They are identifying those individuals who are intent on committing crime, and ensuring they get caught and dealt with”
Inspector Andrew Small also explained that city centre police officers will be travelling on buses to issue safety advice.
He outlined that the officers will travel a few stops to ensure revellers are getting in and out of the city safely.
He said: “We are going to be doing stuff on buses this year.
“We will have officers randomly getting on buses at the weekend just to see people and give advice.”
The city’s illegal taxi trade will also be a priority for city centre police who will work closely with enforcement officers.
Inspector Small said: “We will be working with the Taxi Enforcement Officers.
“There are a lot of issues with private hires coming in to the city who are not licensed.”
The crackdown on those illegal taxis will be from around December 15 with dedicated officers working on the issue everyday from then and throughout the rest of the festive period.
Visits to pubs and clubs will also be part of city centre police rounds with officers aiming to identify and deal with any issues that may occur.
The specialist Divisional Violence Reduction Unit, who operate out of Castlemilk, will also be available to the city centre office should any major issues arise.
Inspector Gibson warned: “I can reassure you if there is people out there committing crime - they will end up at Stewart Street.
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BIRMINGHAM
As the festive party season begins, Birmingham City Council is encouraging Christmas revellers to stay safe and pre-book their taxis.
People are being reminded to check private hire drivers have their name before getting into the vehicle after a night out – and not to flag down private hire vehicles, which are not allowed to pick up fares on the street.
Make sure you get home safely by pre-booking your journey home before going out or make your way to an official taxi rank. The ranks in Broad Street and Hurst Street/Ladywell Walk are marshalled for added security. You can also flag down a black cab.
Private hire drivers who accept fares on the street are not only committing an offence, but putting passengers at risk – as they would not be insured if it was involved in an accident.
During the party season, Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police will be keeping Christmas revellers safe by clamping down on private hire drivers who ply for hire and looking for unlicensed motorists posing as private hire drivers.
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MANCHESTER
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NEARLY half of all assistance dog owners have had to battle taxi drivers who are flouting the law.
It is illegal for someone to be turned away by a taxi or minicab driver because they have a guide dog – but six in ten owners say they have had such an experience in the past year. In comparison only three per cent of people without a dog were turned away by drivers according to a YouGov survey.
Guide dog owners also reported being asked to pay an extra fare, and many said they felt they had received a second-class service even when a driver did agree to take them with their dog.
Guide Dogs campaign manager James White said: “Imagine you were turned away by a taxi driver or asked to pay an extra fare, for no good reason. Despite legal protection, this regularly happens to people living with sight loss because they are travelling with a guide dog.
“This discrimination is not only illegal, it knocks people’s confidence and can stop them doing the everyday things that most people take for granted.”
Under the Equality Act it is illegal for taxi and minicabs to refuse to carry a guide dog unless they have a medical exemption certificate.
A Private Members Bill debate was recently held in parliament. It could lead to all taxi drivers being required to take part In disability equality training.
Mr White added: “We would like to see the law changed and training introduced for all taxi and minicab drivers to help them understand the law and how to welcome assistance dog owners.”
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SALFORD
A 'beautiful, intelligent and caring' woman tragically died after being hit by a taxi in a horror collision on a busy city centre street.
Mikayla Ferguson-Burns, 33, lost her fight for life in hospital on Saturday evening after the incident in Trinity Way, Salford, Greater Manchester.
Tributes have poured in for the woman, reports Manchester Evening News .
In a statement, her family said: “Mikayla was amazing, simply amazing. She has so many family members and friends that are going to miss her dearly.
“She was beautiful, intelligent, hilarious and so so caring. Mikayla always put others before herself and she will never be forgotten”.
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CHESSINGTON
The boss of a transport firm which takes about 230 disabled children to school each day says his company will be forced out of London by TfL’s new language test.
All taxi and private hire drivers now have to demonstrate their ability to write and speak English in order to gain a licence to work in the capital.
Drivers must pay £180 for a written essay and speaking test when they renew their licence if they are unable to produce evidence of GCSE-level qualifications.
Martin Cullip, co-owner of family business Supreme Freedom to Travel, said he is considering moving its operations to Surrey to avoid the “crippling” fees for his 77 drivers.
Mr Cullip, 49, has run the business in Chessington for 21 years and provides transport for three special needs schools every day.
He said: “Because TfL doesn’t have separate regulation for our industry we are lumped in with minicabs.
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NORTHAMPTON
Andreas Jakob died a week after he was struck by Armadepp Kaur’s private hire vehicle at low speed in Byfield.
Mr Jakob, 44, and who had a long standing addiction to alcohol and a poorly functioning liver, was four times over the drink-drive limit when he emerged into the road from behind a parked bus on Woodford Road at around 1.30pm on Sunday, January 20.
He had been visiting his partner Shirale Gale in Byfield and was due to catch a bus to Banbury for an interview with the job centre.
An inquest at County Hall in Northampton heard how Mrs Kaur, who was on a call-out with Daventry firm Lake Hire, would have been travelling at around 15 miles per hour as she passed the bus on the opposite side of the road.
“The next thing I saw was something appearing on the near side of the car and rolling over the bonnet,” she said.
“He appeared before I could stop.
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DUBLIN
A taxi driver has been hailed a hero after saving a young family as their home in Swords went up in flames.
Derek Malone, 40, was dropping off a fare in the Knocksedan estate when his passenger noticed flames and smoke.
Heroic Derek rushed to help the family, but was unable to break through the front door which appeared to be locked from the inside.
He told the Irish Independent: "The woman was inside with her daughter and I told them to go into the sitting room and lifted the daughter and mam through the window.
"The family were dazed but the neighbours were very good."
The woman's husband managed to leave the home without any help and thanks to Mr Malone, his family also managed to escape without injury.
The passenger in Mr Malone's taxi called emergency services while he helped the family from the blaze, which broke out at around 4.30am.
http://bit.ly/2hafjmI
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