Police reject officer's "unfortunate" Jersey Lifts comments

Tuesday 25 April 2017

Police have distanced themselves from comments made by one of their officers who claimed they needed a couple of serious accidents in order to be able to tackle controversial car share group ‘Jersey Lifts'.

Footage captured on a taxi marshal’s body camera showed a disagreement allegedly over Jersey Lifts outside Liberation Station, which was broken up by a Police officer.

But when the officer was questioned by the marshal over efforts to clamp down on carpooling for profit, he was captured on camera saying: “Suggest a way we can close down Jersey Lifts and we will do it because you can’t, you can’t… That's why we need a couple of them to crash and there to be some serious accidents."

He later went on to say that Police,  “...would like to be able to deal with it,” but that they “haven’t got the numbers."

The video was later published on Facebook by the Jersey Taxi Drivers Association (JTDA), but has since been removed, allegedly following a request from the marshal who filmed it. 

The JTDA said they were appalled by the remark:

“Is this the new way the Police force are going to deal with people who break the law, It's like saying we will no longer break up street fights until someone is seriously hurt or even killed. Is this why the Police are saying that crime numbers are down? Is it because we no longer prosecute those who break the law?...This cannot be right and it's about time the authorities stopped passing the buck between the various States Departments and the Police force and actually enforce the law?”

Commenting on the video, the Police told Express: “We are aware of the video and its contents. The comments of the Officer are unfortunate and we do not want to see anyone hurt on our roads, nor are we waiting for a crash to be able to tackle this issue.”

Now with over 10,000 users, Jersey Lifts has been the subject of much controversy over passenger safety and welfare concerns since its inception in 2012, as, unlike registered taxi cabs, drivers are not subject to the same checks.

Fears emerged in January with the news of predatory behaviour from some drivers towards younger users, which saw one 18-year-old girl repeatedly messaged “inappropriate things” by a driver who demanded that she “send a pic” of her friend before offering a lift.

The Jersey Taxi Drivers Association, meanwhile, complain that the existence of the unregulated lifts service perpetuates a ‘black economy’ as drivers might not declare their earnings for income tax purposes. They also argue that it is unfair that unregulated Jersey Lifts should continue to operate while they are having to undergo increased regulation.

While a request under the Freedom of Information Law showed that no convictions had been made since the page was set up, despite a Police investigation into the service, the Police say they’re still dedicated to cracking down on illegal lifts.

A spokesperson told Express:

“The matter of Jersey Lifts is not straightforward and the States of Jersey Police and the Department for Infrastructure continue to be in dialogue on this subject. Proving the exchange of money for the use of a private vehicle as a taxi is very difficult in these circumstances.

“Despite an investigation where around 20 people were interviewed, no offences could be proved beyond all reasonable doubt – the threshold needed to secure a conviction. Those drivers accepting money for lifts in a commercial sense may find that their insurance is invalidated and our message continues to be one of seeking to educate the significant number of users of this service to be aware of their safety at all times.”

“Due to the number of users of this informal service a joined-up approach with other agencies is required if the Island is to tackle this subject.”