By CASEY NEILL
TAXI drivers are calling for more support from police, following a drunken assault in Dandenong last Monday.
Sojan Thomas told the Journal he was standing at the taxi rank opposite Dandenong Railway Station about 9pm on 10 February when his colleague refused to take three men who appeared to be intoxicated.
Mr Thomas said the trio argued with the driver before punching him twice and turning their attention to other cabbies nearby.
“I was just standing over there and he just turned around and punched me on my face,” he said.
“He hit me three times.”
Mr Thomas ran toward protective services officers (PSOs) at the train station, who caught one of the men involved until police arrived and arrested him.
“The two others had already left,” he said.
Mr Thomas suffered bruising and cuts to his nose and forehead, pain in his neck, and had to replace his broken glasses.
His doctor recommended at least four days off work to recover.
“I can’t work, so it stops my income,” he said.
Mr Thomas has worked as a driver in Dandenong for about six months and said he was regularly subjected to verbal abuse. He’s always worried it will get physical.
“Taxi drivers are easy targets,” he said.
“We normally don’t refuse the fare, but if the appearance of the client is very violent or if you think they are drunk or drugged, they are the only rare cases we refuse any jobs.”
Mr Thomas urged police to step in to protect taxi drivers.
“We are humans. We are doing a job for a living,” he said.
“We don’t deserve anybody’s abuse.
“The police aren’t taking it seriously, but this is our life. They are waiting for somebody to die then they will do something.”
Colleagues Maqsood Abro and Chetan Molri told the Journal they’d suffered many attacks from punches to threats with weapons and being spat on.
“We’ve gone to the police station for help and they’ve told us, ‘mate if you don’t like the taxi industry, just leave’,” Mr Abro said.
Mr Molri said police told him “they’re just drunk” when he reported an altercation.
“It’s not our problem. We need help,” he said.
Dandenong Inspector Bruce Kitchen said he understood the drivers’ frustrations.
“I don’t envy a taxi driver’s occupation at all,” he said.
“People have a few drinks and they’re the first place they call. They do put up with a lot of abuse.
“That’s unacceptable.”
But Insp Kitchen said it was “a fine line with police”.
“We don’t have the resources to run every time someone abuses them,” he said.
“They just have to use their discretion. If anyone starts abusing them, don’t pick them up in the taxi.”
He said the PSOs were an extension of police resources and had assisted in this case.
“They prevented something more serious from happening,” he said.
Insp Kitchen urged anyone with information about the incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
