Take the case of 47-year-old Mohammed Shahid who had a broken bottle held to his throat before he was relieved of takings running into hundreds of pounds.

The thug who carried out that attack, Luke Fusco, was this week jailed for three years at Bradford Crown Court.

He should think himself lucky he got away so lightly.

For as he pressed those shards of razor sharp glass against his victim's neck, what might he have imagined was going through Mr Shahid's mind?

The same that would have gone through anyone's. Will I ever see my family again? Is this it?

His defence team rolled out a story. He had taken cocaine for the first time and did not remember a thing. So that is all right then.

There are more and more cases coming to court involving assaults on cab drivers who are extremely vulnerable, especially at this time of year when it is darker earlier.

The case of Mohammad Parvaiz who was killed by a vicious mob after being lured to an address in Huddersfield on a bogus call, perfectly illustrates the dangers of the job.

Some time ago cab drivers complained to Calderdale Council about a lack of safety and asked for CCTV cameras to be fitted into their cars.

This is a great idea. If anyone misbehaves in any way, shape or form the evidence will be available and irrefutable.

But perhaps instead of badgering the council, the private hire companies should think about installing cameras themselves.

After all it would be an investment in their business and the welfare of their staff.