Sir – The article (March 29) concerning a meeting arranged to discuss the installation of audio-visual recording equipment in taxis and private hire vehicles is incorrect and seriously misleading.
The meeting was organised by the city council and not by Khalil Ahmed, who organized the petition to which we were responding. Mr Ahmed took it upon himself to invite others to what was a private meeting without consulting the council officers who made the arrangements.
More importantly, there are no plans to install CCTV in vehicles. Closed circuit television is externally monitored.
The recording equipment to be used is secure, sealed and self-contained and the data is encrypted and can only be accessed by authorised persons if an investigation of a complaint is required. Otherwise, the data is deleted automatically after four weeks.
The General Purposes Licensing Committee agreed to the installation, requested by the operators and supported by many drivers, because they felt it would be irresponsible not to require the use of properly secure new technology which will increase the safety of both passengers and drivers without unacceptably invading their privacy. The fact that it is not CCTV is the most important point.
Clark Brundin, Chairman, General Purposes Licensing Committee, Oxford City Council
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here