Self-defence in the News - No. 13

Stabbed cabbie calls for taxi screens

"Stabbed cabbie calls for taxi screens"

TIM DONOGHUE

29/03/2011

A taxi driver stabbed seven times in a frenzied attack has called for all cabs to be fitted with protective screens around the drivers.

Shlemon Yako, 60, was stabbed three times in the stomach, once in his left side and three times in his arms, as he dropped off a front-seat passenger at the bottom of Shropshire Ave in the Wellington suburb of Wilton about 12.15am on Saturday.

The Kiwi Cabs driver picked the man up from the Bay Rd taxi stand in Kilbirnie and drove him across town to Wilton via Aro St.

He said the sustained attack, during which he fought with his assailant, had convinced him protective screens should be compulsory. He remains in a stable condition in Wellington Hospital four days after the attack.

Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Yako, from Baghdad, said: "I put some boxing to his face. I pushed the knife to the floor. After he came out the other door, I caught him. I put his face to the floor." Mr Yako suffered four stomach and abdomen wounds during the attack inside the cab, and three wounds to his arms as the scuffle continued outside.

Wellington CIB said it was investigating the attack, but no arrest had yet been made.

Legislation was introduced for all taxis in larger cities to be fitted with security cameras from August 1, 2011, after drivers Hiren Mohini and Abdulrahman Ikhtiari were stabbed to death in Auckland in 2010 and Christchurch in 2008. Mr Yako said cameras would not have saved his life if he had suffered a wound to a vital organ.

"We need to keep the passengers away from contact with the driver ... there is no point in having cameras, as cameras will not help the driver survive." He said working in Wellington at night is risky. "There is no way I will go back to driving my cab at night. I will drive during the day." He suspected the man may have been on drugs, as he did not smell of alcohol.

"There was no conversation. He instructed me to go to Shropshire Ave. He did not ask for money. He said nothing. I thought he could be a runner."

Kiwi Cabs general manager Ninos Zaya said he would no longer be sending drivers to the Bay Rd cab rank. The clientele of Bay Rd's bars made it a dangerous area for drivers – though he did not believe the man who stabbed Mr Yako came from a bar.

Mr Zaya said cameras in taxis would not help drivers.

He called for cameras to be installed at taxi stands so that passengers who did not have pickup or drop-off addresses could still be traced.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce decided against introducing compulsory protective screens because of widespread industry objection about the negative impact of screens on normal communication between drivers and passengers.

Mr Joyce said there was nothing to stop individual taxi drivers from introducing protective screens themselves.

Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish said there needed to be whole-hearted buy-in from the industry before compulsory screens could be introduced.

"I don't think it's going to happen ... A lot of drivers believe screens are intrusive and interfere with taxi air conditioning systems. It won't happen unless it becomes so bad out there that there is no option. God help us if we ever get to that stage."

- The Dominion Post