Terror victim’s parents in call for tougher ID checks
VEHICLE rental rules should include compulsory identity checks and “red flag” alerts like those used by airlines, say the parents of a London Bridge terror attack victim.
On the third anniversary of the atrocity, the family of Christine Archibald said an existing voluntary scheme needs to be made compulsory.
The 30-year-old Canadian was one of eight people murdered by three terrorists in a van and knife rampage on London Bridge and at Borough Market on June 3, 2017.
Ringleader Khuram Butt paid £70 to hire the white Renault Master from Hertz rentals used to mow down and kill Christine and French businessman Xavier Thomas, 45, on the bridge.
Christine and her fiance,Tyler Ferguson, were enjoying a romantic stroll in the capital.
Her parents Greg and Barbara, along with other victims’ families and survivors, have now settled compensation claims with Hertz’s insurer for undisclosed sums.
They said: “We continue to appeal to the bodies that govern vehicle rental agencies in the UK to make it mandatory for all vehicle rental agencies to have to adhere to the Government’s rental vehicle security scheme.”
The voluntary scheme sees companies train staff to identify risks, share data with the police, and carry out identity checks when anyone hires a vehicle.
The Archibalds said: “We also believe that rental vehicle operators should have to submit the identity of a prospective renter to a red flag/alert system when the rental vehicle scheme identifies a risk, similar to that used by airlines.”