Taxis to have shield after Indian origin driver’s killing
May 22nd, 2010 - 4:36 pm ICT by IANSAuckland, May 22 (IANS) A protective shield has been designed to separate taxi drivers from passengers in New Zealand after an Indian-origin driver was fatally stabbed here.
Perspex manufacturer Karl Cochrane made the shield that can be fitted around a taxi driver’s seat.
Cochrane designed the shield after the Jan 31 assault on Auckland taxi driver Hiren Mohini, 39, in Mt Eden.
“A shield would not prevent all attacks, but it would buy a taxi driver a bit of time if a passenger was behaving in a threatening manner,” New Zealand Herald quoted Cochrane as saying.
“In three or four attacks I know of, the driver hasn’t been able to get out of the car.”
Sukhwinder Singh, Tauranga Mount Taxis Society chairman, said that if a taxi had a surveillance camera and a shield, it would make attacks nearly impossible.
Tony Singh, a taxi driver, was one of the first to buy the special shield. Two of his friends, Mohinder Singh and Dev Sangha, were assaulted in their taxis in March. Mohinder Singh suffered severe facial injuries after he was hit on the head and dragged along a road by a passenger who refused to pay his fare.
As many as 10 drivers from the Tauranga Mount Taxi company have been assaulted in the past two years.
- Hiren Mohini's murder prompts construction of protective shield for Kiwi cabbies - May 22, 2010
- Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in New Zealand - Mar 23, 2010
- 'Petrified' Indian cabbie drivers want cameras, perspex screens following Mohini murder - Feb 05, 2010
- Suspect in Indian's murder in New Zealand arrested in China - Jun 14, 2010
- Now, security cameras for Kiwi cabs after fatal attack on Indian origin driver - Aug 10, 2010
- Make our workplaces safer, say Indians in New Zealand - Feb 15, 2010
- Kiwi police fear Indian taxi driver Hiren Mohini's killer could strike again - Feb 13, 2010
- Another cabbie robbed at knifepoint in New Zealand - Apr 02, 2010
- Mohini's murder prompts Wednesday safety review of Kiwi taxi industry - Mar 28, 2010
- Auckland cabbie Hiren Mohini's wife wants to confront murder suspect - Dec 26, 2010
- Knife used for murder Indian-origin taxi driver in Auckland found - Feb 01, 2010
- Attack on Indian in Auckland would shock even criminals: police - Feb 02, 2010
- Indian taxi driver Hiren Mohini's killer may have fled NZ: Kiwi police - Feb 14, 2010
- New Zealand raise 100,000 dollars for slain Indian-origin cabbie Mohini's family - Apr 14, 2010
- Indian-origin taxi driver Mohini's killer's identification provides solace to his widow - Mar 01, 2010
Tags: cochrane, facial injuries, indian origin, mohini, mt eden, new zealand herald, protective shield, sangha, society chairman, surveillance camera, tauranga, taxi company, taxi driver, taxi drivers, taxis