Bogota taxi drivers have taken the law into their own hands and formed a self-defense force amid complaints that authorities do nothing to confront attacks on late-night drivers.
“We’re tired of asking the police to help us with monitoring crime; the lack of security just gets worse and worse,” one taxi driver told RCN radio.
The drivers began carrying out their own searches for alleged attackers on Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday in a bid to tackle the high level of attacks on taxis.
“We don’t need arms to defend ourselves. […] So many have been robbed and the police just don’t show up. We will fight against crime as a united front,” a driver reportedly told RCN.
Some 50 taxi drivers gathered at an intersection in Bogota in protest of recent violence in the city. They reportedly discussed the need to confront the crime themselves and agreed that passenger searches were necessary to prevent further attacks.
There have been 28 taxi robberies in Bogota over the past two days and the drivers plan to keep up the vigilance until the attacks come to an end.
Sources
- Taxistas montan retenes para “requisar” a pasajeros (RCN Radio)
- Taxistas protestaron por incremento de atracos a conductores (Radio Caracol)
- Taxistas de Bogotá suplantan a autoridades con retenes y requisas (El Espectador)