Taxi drivers have been urged to install CCTV cameras in their vehicles in the wake of a recent armed robbery in Kirkcaldy.
A man abducted 46-year-old cabbie Alistair Rankin and forced him to hand over a ransom note to terrified staff during November 11’s raid on the Bank of Scotland in Mitchelston Industrial Estate.
The incident once more brought the safety of taxi drivers and their passengers into sharp focus.
Calls are now growing for drivers to use the equipment they have been offered in recent months following successful pilot projects.
Brian McGurn from the Fife Taxi Owners Association said CCTV cameras had proved beneficial in many cases.
“One of things the incident does highlight is that the council has recently offered all the taxis CCTV in cars, which a huge number of members have taken up,” he said.
“Obviously if there is CCTV in the car when something like this happens then there’s a real possibility there will be images of the person or people involved.
“But even if you’ve got a sign up saying there’s CCTV in the taxi, it can act as a deterrent.
“It’s definitely an unusual situation that happened with this bank robbery but it’s a worrying one for anyone to go out to their work and find yourself in the midst of something like that. It’s not a situation anyone wants to be in.
“I think if police catch the person involved then so much the better, although it always makes people worry.”
Research into the pilot camera projects earlier this year suggested CCTV had a measurable effect on improving safety and cutting crime.
During the pilot in Dunfermline, only one of the 41 taxi frauds recorded happened in a vehicle fitted with CCTV and the culprit was caught.
In the same period, there were just two other crimes in taxis equipped with cameras an incidence of vandalism and a report of sectarian singing and police said the CCTV footage had helped them with their inquiries in both instances.
Although those responsible were not identified, police said the CCTV had helped them with their inquiries.
The scheme was so successful it was rolled out to taxis in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes and Levenmouth among other areas.
Funding has been found through local community safety budgets to assist with the provision of cameras.
Meanwhile, police say they are still hunting the culprit behind the armed robbery more than a fortnight after the incident took place.