It saddens me that in today’s society if we drive into a bus lane a camera records us and we get a fine. Put two wheels in a yellow box and a camera records us and we get a fine. Do a u-turn where we’re not supposed to, recorded and fined. Stay too long in a car park, recorded and fined. Drop passengers off in the wrong place, recorded and fined. Yet a youngster gets stabbed to death in a park and there is an appeal for eyewitnesses and dashcam video because there is no money to be made in monitoring the places where our children socialise. I know it is not financially viable to have cameras everywhere, but it is possible, and that is the sad part.
CabbieBlog 
Too true. But do we need more cameras or fewer? Hard argument either way.
What’s really needed is a motivation in the police force to protect people, rather than to punish law-breakers. The latter is temptingly easy, and satisfying though.
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I think London’s Metropolitan Police Force (I refuse to call it Police Service), has a lot more to do than worry about cabs not obeying traffic regulations. Thanks for the comment. Incidentally, on your advice I contacted Richard Charkin at Mensch Publishing and he seriously considered the manuscript then recommended that I self-publish which I’m doing. Thanks for your help.
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Reblogged this on Writing Wrinkles and commented:
I follow this cabbie’s blog because… I’m from East London. I forward the Saturday Twitter snippets to hubby – from North London, but he doesn’t do blogs. I don’t often reblog, but this one strikes a loud chord that needs to reverberate further.
And yes, I am of the opinion that cameras are no threat if you’re not doing anything wrong. Britain is not Russia.
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Thanks for the reblog Cathy. There is also anecdotal evidence of cabbies being booked via camera if they wait more than 2 minutes while a passenger alights. It seems to have happened whilst helping a wheelchair bound passenger.
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I hope that’s overturned on appeal, when a real person gets to look at it instead of a bot.
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I liked this as I have a cousin who is a London Cabbie
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I email the links to my husband, who doesn’t do blogs. He’s an ex-Met policeman and knows London intimately
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Traffic fines generate income. Finding out who stabbed someone does not. As always, follow the money for the truth.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Soon in London you’ll spent more time looking out for cameras than observing road conditions.
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