NEWS Taxi drivers left in fear

A DARWIN taxi driver of 18 years wants to see a police operation put in place to stop rock and bottle throwing attacks on drivers.

It comes after a 26-year-old driver was struck in the face by a rock while driving along McMillans Rd between Lee Point Rd and Rothdale Rd at 2am on August 5.

Darwin taxi driver Shane Nouwens said the issue had ebbed and flowed over the years but in recent times attacks on taxi drivers had worsened.

“The talk on the ranks is that it is getting worse and it is a weekly event,” he said.

“I’ve been around for almost 20 years and it has been around for as long as I have.”

Mr Nouwens has been attacked several times and said there were streets he tried to avoid because people were likely to be there waiting to throw things at the vehicle.

Mr Nouwens said years ago the police ran an operation where they commandeered a taxi vehicle or rode along to catch the culprits in the act.

Another worker in the taxi industry who wished to remain anonymous said vehicles in his fleet were being damaged by rock throwers at least three to four times a week.

“We tell all our drivers to make a police report and there really should be an intervention by the police for the drivers,” he said.

The Darwin Taxi School instructor Les Whittaker said it was hard to find an effective solution.

“It’s one of the hazards of the job and police do everything that they can but it is a problem that’s always been there,” he said.

He said it was up to police to decide if an operation would be effective and if they had the resources for it.

Northern Command Superintendent Warren Jackson said throwing any object at a vehicle was a serious offence.

“Not only is this behaviour extremely dangerous, but it is also punishable by imprisonment,” he said.

If a person is found guilty of throwing objects at vehicles they can face a sentence up to four years in jail.