A Freedom of Information request has revealed the scale of sexual offences linked to taxi and private hire drivers across the Devon & Cornwall policing area. According to data released by Devon & Cornwall Police — as reported by PHTM — the force recorded 34 offences between April 2022 and March 2025, averaging between one and two cases per month.
DM News Commentary
These figures are alarming, and they underline a long-standing issue in the UK taxi and private hire sector: fragmented licensing and inconsistent safeguarding standards. While the vast majority of drivers across the country are professional, vetted and dedicated to passenger safety, data like this inevitably shakes public confidence.
The problem isn’t just about individual offenders — it’s about loopholes that allow bad actors to slip through. Remote licensing, uneven local authority rules, and limited data-sharing between councils leave cracks in the system. When someone with ill intent gets a badge, every good driver pays the price through public mistrust.
At the same time, FOI reports like this don’t reflect the millions of safe journeys completed every year, nor the increasing number of drivers calling for stronger national standards, universal CCTV, and tougher enforcement. The industry wants reform as much as passengers do — but without Government action, stories like this will continue to surface.
This FOI release should be a wake-up call: safety must be consistent nationwide, not dependent on your postcode.
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