be taxi driver faked NYPD letter
The cabbie hopeful from Sandwell presented a fake letter from American cops as evidence of good conduct in a bid to get a licence in the borough. The letter was needed by Sandwell Council as the applicant had lived in the UK for less than five years. He asked a friend based in New York to obtain the certificate of good conduct on his behalf.
But he was told the applicant would have to attend in person to have his fingerprints taken or he could download the form, attend the US Embassy in London and pay for the service.
But he decided to find a way around the inconvenience so the friend created the bogus certificate on his computer and the applicant presented it to the licensing office.
But the taxi licensing office at Sandwell Council became suspicious of the certificate’s authenticity and began investigating.
After contacting the NYPD, the letter was confirmed as a forgery.
It was reported to West Midlands Police and the driver was interviewed. Police confirmed the man, being of previous good character, fake drivers license template has now been cautioned.
The forged certificate confirmed the applicant ‘had been cleared of any record of misconduct’ and had ‘no criminal history’.
“This is incredible. If he is willing to deceive the council to get a licence then what else will he deceive people about. He doesn’t deserve a licence,” he said.
“I’m pleased that Sandwell Council realised what he was up to and managed to stop him from going any further.”Sandwell Council leader Darren Cooper said: “It’s clear the public need to have confidence in the people who are picking them up so I’m pleased that our robust procedures were able to detect this forgery.
“Our strong relationship with the police is very important when investigating these types of matters. This should be a warning to anyone thinking of fraudulently trying to obtain a licence don’t do it in Sandwell.”
Councillor Maria Crompton, cabinet member for highways and environment, said: “It is a good example of the extensive checks we make on licence applicants in order to protect the public and an excellent example of multi agency working with our partners.”