Issue - meetings

To determine a private hire/hackney carriage vehicle licence.

The Chair moved Item 7 forward in the proceedings.

The Enforcement Officer gave a summary of the report.A Community Protection Officer for Maldon District Council and an accredited officer of Essex Police was performing road safety duties with a hand held speed camera in Maldon.

He was approached by the driver who appeared to be very agitated and confrontational, and seemed aggrieved that the Officer was doing speed checks without putting signage up. The driver stated that the Officer appeared to be holding a gun and looked dangerous and repeated this a number of times.

The Officer clearly identified himself as an Essex Police accredited Officer doing speed checks and supplied his name and said that the driver could make enquiries with Essex Police if he was unhappy with the situation. The driver said the Officer should get his “governors to kick your arse,” he also said that the Officer was a “sarcastic tosser” and an “idiot” a “jerk” and said that he should get “his arse kicked.”

A video of the driver’s encounter with the police officer was shown to the panel.

The driver said he had been on edge at the time when he went over to speak to the officer. He had not known he was with the police and his ID had been tucked into his jacket. He had thought he had a gun. He had never had any experiences like that before. He had genuinely believed something wasn’t right and had lost his temper, particularly when the officer did not seem to take the matter seriously and refused to let the driver take a photo of his ID.

In response to a Member question, the driver said he had reported the incident to Essex Police, and had received a response.

Copies of this response were circulated to Members.

In response to a Member question, the driver said that with hindsight he would have been more measured and called the police. Such behaviour was not typical of him.

The driver said he hoped the situation could be used to educate people about what could be done better.

Copies of a reference from the Head Teacher at a school he drove for were circulated to the Panel.

At 12.40, the Committee retired to make its decision.

At 13.00, the Committee returned. The decision was read to those present.

RESOLVED to take no further action on the driver’s drivers licence.

DECISION NOTICE –

The application before the Panel today is for the suspension or revocation  of Mthe driver’s  private hire licence number PHD0452 under S61  (1) (b) Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.- any other reasonable cause. The licence is due to expire on 31 August 2021 and the driver was first licenced by this authority on 24^th September 2009. He works for 24 x 7 on school contract work.

We have had the opportunity of reading the officer’s report in this case, a copy of which has been served on the driver, and we have  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4