Security firm installs free in-cab CCTV for taxi man

A security company for taxis has installed a free CCTV system in the cab of a Cork driver who was recently assaulted.

John Constant, 57, was attacked as he dropped a group of men back from a night out in Cork City to Glounthaune in East Cork.

Mr Constant said that he was punched, restrained, and threatened after he had pointed out that one of the men had been sick in the back of his minivan and wanted it cleaned up.

John Motherway heard Mr Constant recall his story on the Neil Prendeville Show on Red FM and offered to have his company, SafeCab, fit Mr Constant’s taxi with a CCTV system to give him peace of mind in future.

Related: Cork taxi driver recalls night of vicious attack

The company was founded in 2013 after Mr Motherway’s own experiences as a taxi driver inspired him to look into CCTV cameras in taxis.

While there are DIY options available, Mr Motherway said that these are fraught with potential data protection issues for drivers and customers alike.

“If a couple were out on the town and had a bit of a fondle in the back seat there’s nothing stopping a taxi driver with some typical CCTV systems from taking out the SD card and uploading the footage to YouTube or wherever,” he said.

SafeCab installs CCTV systems with encrypted access to the footage, which is recorded 24/7.

The footage can only be accessed via a request to SafeCab and is deleted after 30 days.

TAXI ATTACK - This is Cork taxi driver John Constant (58) who was attacked by 6 men in Glounthaune on Sat @CorksRedFM pic.twitter.com/Dm524r95yY

— Neil Prendeville (@NeilRedFM) March 23, 2015

Furthermore, Mr Motherway said that his company has linked up with Alertline Security in Midleton to provide constant monitoring for drivers.

The company, which monitors alarms for older people living alone, will respond to any distress alarms activated by the driver by opening a live feed from their camera, as well as finding their location via GPS and will call the gardaí if necessary.

Thanks to Cork company http://t.co/W8vn3cfbW8 who are going to install CCTV surveillance system in John Constants cab pic.twitter.com/nQBCIqRo32

— Neil Prendeville (@NeilRedFM) March 25, 2015

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