With these criteria in mind, the following methods of collecting data for this report have been chosen. The main body of data has been gained from a semi-structured interview using a mixture of open and closed questions. A structured interview entails the running of an interview schedule by the interviewer. The aim is for all interviewees to be given exactly the same context of questioning. For the purpose of this research the interviews were conducted in person by visiting the interviewees in their work situation. The sample for this research was taken from private hire taxi drivers, figures from Oldham Metro Council’s licensing Department (2003) state that there are approx 800 drivers working and that they are split roughly 60% Asian and 40% UK/White. Given these figures, 20 respondents, 12 Asian and 8 UK/White were chosen. This meant going to various private hire taxi offices in the Oldham area. In a personal interview, the interviewer may respond to signs, such as puzzlement or unease, by restating the question or attempting to clarify the meaning of the question. This may entail prompting, when an interviewer suggests a possible answer to a question to the respondent.
Bryman (2001) states that prospective respondents have to be provided with a credible justification for the research in which they are being asked to participate and for giving up their valuable time.
The results from the interview were noted by writing down the respondent’s replies.
To back up our main body of research, a quantitative content analysis of local newspaper and taxi trade magazines. In analysis we sought to quantify the contents in terms of predetermined categories. In this case we looked for individual stories, which portrayed physical assaults on taxi drivers, by counting individual stories and then analysing the nature of assault and the types of perpetrators involved. The local newspaper archive was used and sources from the last 2 years were analysed. The analysis of the taxi trade magazine, which was carried out on-line, was used to see if these attacks took place nationally. Bryman (2002) states that content analysis is a very transparent research method; it can allow a certain amount of longitudinal analysis with relative ease. Pawson (1995) argues that formal content analysis is not without its problems. Simply counting the number of items tells you nothing about their significance, and the meanings of the text or images being studied can only be implied.
Our research found that out of 20 respondents, 12 where of Asian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent, and 8 described themselves as of White UK descent. The age of the respondents was between 25 and 65. Of the 20 respondents 17 were married, 2 were co-habiting and one was single. It should be noted that all of the Asian respondents were married and all had children.
All the drivers interviewed described themselves as self-employed private hire taxi drivers. They worked on average 60 hours a week; this was usually split between days and evenings. The evening work was mostly on Friday and Saturday. Shifts of 12 hours were not unusual at busy times.
Oldham is a mixed urban and rural town on the edge of the West Pennines, most of the private hire taxi offices (22 in all) are situated in the town centre, but the drivers cover the whole borough.
When asked about attacks on private hire driver 19 out of the twenty respondents reported that they had suffered some form of attack or abuse.
The one driver who suffered no attack or abuse had only been in the trade for 6 months.
All 20 drivers, who reported attacks, had been verbally abused at one time or another. 12 of these drivers had been physically assaulted, 4 required further treatment and had to take time off work. 8 of the drivers reported being assaulted on more than one occasion; one driver had been assaulted 3 time in the last two years. Out of these drivers who had been victims of multiple attacks all were of Asian origin.
All the drivers stated that all the perpetrators were young white men and the attacks took place between the hours of 7pm and 4am, usually on Friday or Saturday night. All respondents who suffered verbal or physical attacks believed that alcohol was a contributing factor. All the Asian drivers believed that their attacks were racially motivated.
When asked whether they reported the attacks to the police, except in the most violent attacks in which money was taken, the respondents said that they didn’t bother, citing the time taken to report the crime and the police officers indifference to the less serious assaults. The drivers state that loss of money as more important than catching the attacker. All the drivers seemed ambivalent to all, except the most serious, attacks. They saw the attacks, both verbal and physical, as an occupational hazard that was going to happen at one time or another.
When asked about measures that could be done to prevent the attacks, various measures were put forward. The most popular, which some drivers had already installed, where in-car CCTV and Grilles that separated the driver from the passengers. Where these measures had been installed drivers reported that the incidence of physical attacks had dropped but they still suffered verbal abuse.
These findings were backed up by our content analysis of the local paper 20 physical attacks were reported in the local press over a two year period. All the attacks had Asian victims and their attackers were all reported as being young white youths. Only the most serious assaults, the ones reported to the police, seemed to be reported in the papers. In two years only two attackers were brought to court and convicted, supporting the view of the drivers that it is ‘a waste of time’ reporting incidents to the police.
The analysis of the trade magazine see the pattern of attacks repeated all over the UK especially in urban areas.50 serious assaults in the last 12 month, including 2 murders. The majority of these attacks are carried out on Asian drivers by mainly white perpratrators.
In conclusion it seems that drivers who enter the private hire taxi trade, are aware of the risks that they face and are prepared to accept them.
In answer to the question ‘Are these attacks racist?” It could be that because the majority of Private hire drivers are of Asian descent and they tend to work mostly in the evening then they are more likely to be victims. Because a racist crime is defined so by the victim, nearly all the attacks on Asian drivers are being reported as being racist. Deep-seated prejudice seems to turn into overt discrimination when alcohol is involved and the perpetrators of these attacks believe they can get away with it.
Word Count 1668
Bibliography
Bryman, A. (2001) Social Research Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cashmore, E. E. (1996) Dictionary of Race and Ethnic Relations, London: Routledge.
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (2003)
Oldham Evening Chronicle (Mar 2001 – Mar 2003)
Pawson,R. (1995) ‘Methods of Content/ Document/ Media Analysis’, in Haralambos, M. (Eds) (1995) Developments in Sociology, Vol 11, Ormskirk: Causeway Press.
Private Hire Monthly (Mar 2002 – Mar 2003)
Ritchie, D. (2001) The Oldham Independent Report, London, HMSO.
Questions for Interview
- Name
- Age
- Gender
- Ethnicity-
White UK
White other (please state)
Black Afro/Caribbean
Black other (please state)
Chinese
Asian (Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Indian)
Asian Other (please state)
- Marital Status – Single, Married, Co-Habiting
- Do you have children?
- Work Details – Job Description
Employed or Self-Employed
Number of hours worked
Days, Nights, Mixed.
- Where is your office situated?
- Have you ever experienced any form of attack?
- What form did it take? Verbal or Physical
- How many times have you been attacked?
- Where you injured?
- Did you report it?
- If yes, whom did you report it to?
- If you didn’t report it, why not?
- Do you think anything can be done to reduce attacks?
- Do you employ any of these methods?
- Do you regard any attack that you have been involved in as racist.
