The city council is set to force taxi drivers to install CCTV in their cars.

At £400 a throw, you can imagine there would be a fair amount of teeth-grinding at the prospect.

But this is not just about passenger safety, it is aimed at helping drivers as well.

The Oxford Mail has frequently covered stories of attacks on cabbies, but also accusations aimed at drivers as well.

There have been some horrific incidents, usually late at night when people have had too much to drink and not been in control.

Being a driver in this city must be troublesome at night, dealing with drunk passengers.

Then there are rows over fares and routes taken.

These cameras would undoubtedly resolve many of these issues.

Images could – as is the case in a similar system in Staffordshire – get downloaded straight to a police station.

CCTV is well-used on trains and buses. This is purely an extension of that system.

We applaud any initiative to improve the public’s safety and urge the city’s drivers to listen to this testimony from one fellow cabbie in Huddersfield, who already uses the system: “The people who have installed it for a while say it’s definitely worth it. It has helped them in several situations.”