Thugs must be the only ones to pay (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Thugs must be the only ones to pay

8:33am Tuesday 2nd February 2010 in Our View By Telegraph & Argus

A minicab firm’s threat to boycott two areas after a series of attacks on its vehicles and drivers is understandable. After all, the safety of workers must always come before the desire to make profits and it is entirely to boss Shahid Iqbal’s credit that he seems to view the situation that way.

That said, the firm and its drivers should not have to consider turning away fares because of the thuggish behaviour of a tiny minority.

Equally, there will be some people in these areas who rely on minicabs to get out and about and if Girlington Taxis and other firms choose to give these places a miss after dark – which could happen – then they would be deprived of a vital service through no fault of their own.

The best solution would be if the yobs responsible for these attacks were brought to justice, then the drivers could get on with the job of providing a service to these neighbourhoods without any safety fears.

Thankfully it appears the police have not been idle in this regard, but the latest incident shows that there are still some idiots at large prepared to target cab drivers and drag down their communities in the process.

Hopefully, they will soon be caught, and we appeal to anyone with any information about them to contact the police to make sure this happens sooner rather than later.

Because if a boycott does take place, then everyone but the thugs would lose out, and that would not be right.