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Million pound fake black taxis racket

by David Williams and Justin Davenport

Scotland Yard has smashed a major ring selling fake black cab licences to London criminals.

The racket, which has been going on for several years, raises significant fears for passenger safety.

The badges are much sought after because they provide near perfect cover for criminals moving around the capital in rented cabs and can also provide bogus black cab drivers with a tax free and untraceable income.

At least 100 fake black cab drivers are believed to be operating in London at the moment.

Officers raided an East London address and seized several taxi licences and badges which, police suspect, were to be sold on to bogus cab drivers at £1,700 each.

The suspect at the centre of the raid is believed to have supplied scores of drivers - including hard-core criminals - with a stream of forged and stolen documentation. Police sources say further arrests are expected.

The raid has alarmed the 20,000-strong licensed black cab industry which is famous for running a safe, efficient service which is trusted by the public. The operation - and its security implications - could force the Public Carriage Office, which governs the black cab and the minicab trade, to re-examine its procedures.

There are fears that if terrorists obtained fake papers it would make it easier for them to slip through the tight security operation that has been in place in London following the bombing of the BBC in which the Real IRA used a second-hand taxi. Authorities within the cab trade say that passengers could be in danger from thugs or drunks who may have paid for a fake licence and taken to the streets in a black cab. Sex attackers may also use fake ID as a way of targeting potential victims. Police say only a handful of bogus cab licences were connected to Wednesday's raid on the east London premises. But one industry authority believes fake papers can be obtained through a number of outlets.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "On Wednesday 14 March police searched an address in Bethnal Green. A 36-year-old man was arrested in connection with allegations of theft and fraud. He was later bailed pending further inquiries. An amount of property including taxi badges and licences were seized during the search."

Police from the Cab Enforcement Unit, working on secondment to the Mayor's Public Carriage Office - say they are investigating alleged cases of forgery and criminal deception which carry a maximum sentence of ten years. It is believed that some drivers using false documents are black cab drivers who have been disqualified. Others have never trained as licensed taxi drivers and have never taken "the knowledge" which can take years to learn.