Police tell cab driver that they can't investigate passenger who didn't pay because the fare

A private hire driver who was left without payment by a passenger who ran off has been told by the police that they cannot take any action against the accused because of the amount of money involved. Private hire driver Mark Donohue from Everton has said he feels badly let down by the police and has questioned why he has even bothered turning his life around after years of his own troubles.

As reported in the Liverpool Echo, the police have said that all reports of theft are taken seriously but each incident is considered on its own merits and on this occasion the victim was informed that the crime had been recorded but due to ‘a lack of solvability’ the matter will be closed.

Mr Donohue, who has been driving for Alpha Cars for four months said he went out to pick up his first pre-booked job at 5am that morning from an address in Walton. The accused came out of the address and they began their journey. It was a trip to a destination and then return back to Walton. The passenger then told him he had no money. The passenger left the vehicle and Mark was left with no choice but to contact the police and report the crime. During the report Mr Donohue was told that there’s nothing the police can do because of the value involved with the incident. They said it was “to low” to investigate. According to Mr Donohue, a number of other drivers have complained about the lack of support from the police over similar incidents and now feels that there will be people who will think its ok to run off without paying the fare of a journey because they know that the police won’t follow through with the investigations fully. The police have said that there is no “monetary limit” on investigating thefts and that searches were carried out at both addresses given by the informant but they did not show up as having anyone of the name provided at either address. Most taxi and private hire drivers are likely to come across one or two “runners” during their time as a driver and will probably expect to the police force to do all they can to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice, no matter how big or small. On this occasion Mr Donohue feels like the only person punished has been himself and is now out of pocket.

Have you ever been a victim of the same crime? Did you report it to the police and what action was taken?