Taxi and private hire drivers across the Burnham-On-Sea area have been given compulsory training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
Sedgemoor District Council has made safeguarding training compulsory for all new drivers licensed by the authority, and existing drivers have also received the training.
Customers of the taxis can be assured that their driver understands the importance of safeguarding and how to deal with vulnerable passengers or situations that may arise including child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
“The training has taken the form of free workshops organised by the Council and will help raise awareness of safeguarding in order to protect both drivers and passengers,” said council spokeswoman Claire Faun.
“The two and a half hour workshops were designed and developed to give all drivers an overview of how safeguarding can involve the taxi trade; what child sexual exploitation is; what Human Trafficking is; an insight into the trends used by the perpetrators and to give drivers the knowledge and confidence to report concerns.”
“We want to make sure that Sedgemoor taxi drivers are aware of these issues, and that they are confident about reporting anything amiss.”
Independent inquiries into recent high profile cases have identified that taxi and private hire vehicles were used by the perpetrators of the crimes to transport their victims.
