Cabbies to get “help” training

Staff Reporter TAXI drivers in Palma should be given basic training on what to do if, during the course of their work, they come across women who have been the victims of domestic violence, say the Socialists in Palma City Council. The Balearic Socialists and National Socialist Workers Party argued yesterday that “the first and sometimes the only alternative for ill-treated women who try to escape from their aggressor, is to get a taxi to take them away as quickly as possible from the scene of attack”. Being the victims of frightening violence, the “physical and psychological state” of such women prevents them from being able to think rationally about the most appropriate alternatives such as asking for help from organisations in Palma which are specialised in dealing with beaten women. At the next City Council meeting, the Socialists therefore will call for a course to be organised for taxi drivers who need to be informed on what resources Palma has to offer such unfortunates. Drivers would also be counselled on how to deal with a potentially fraught situation were they to stop for clients who proved to have been the subject of violent attack. Cabbies are also going to step up their pressure on Palma City Council with regards to increasing their personal safety. Earlier this year a taxi driver was stabbed in the neck when a robbery went wrong and cabbies have expressed growing concern about their safety. There have been calls for each taxi to be fitted with GPS satellite systems, but the council has said it would be far too costly and would not help protect taxi drivers in the event of an attack.