Assaults on taxi drivers in Poland – perpetrators, victims, modus operandi

Katarzyna Laskowska

Uniwersytet w Białymstoku
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6767-3929

Abstract

Assaults on taxi drivers are a criminological problem in Poland that has not been extensively studied. As users of taxis, members of the public are not always aware of the risks associated with this profession. The aim of this paper is to show the criminological and victimological problems of assaults on taxi drivers. This is done by presenting the demographic and social characteristics of the perpetrators and victims, as well as the methods used to commit the assaults. The research hypothesis for the analyses carried out was as follows: Working as a taxi driver involves a number of safety risks. This hypothesis was confirmed during the course of the study. The risks identified included contact with intoxicated, sometimes aggressive passengers who are not always willing to pay the fare and who treat the taxi driver as an easy prey due to the presence of cash in the car. The method used was document analysis, i.e. analysis of the information contained on the website of the National Police Headquarters in the News section under the tab Attacks on taxi drivers.

Keywords:

criminology, assault on a taxi driver, robbery, modus operandi