Hunt for taxi bandit

By Sarah Schwager
POLICE are hunting a man robbing taxi drivers in Cranbourne at knifepoint, while drivers continue to fear for their safety.
Three armed robberies in three days have sparked a manhunt for the culprit, with detectives believing the same man is responsible for all three.
Detective Sergeant Larry Grimshaw at Cranbourne CIU said it appeared the offender was targeting taxi drivers because he believed they were a soft target.
Pakenham Taxis manager Barry Thomas said while the incidents were disturbing, it was a reality of the industry.
“We’re all aware that it’s a reality, that’s why companies are putting screens in to protect drivers,” Mr Thomas said.
He said it was impossible to stop people from robbing taxi drivers and said he only saw two viable solutions.
“Either you have the driver in a totally separate compartment (from the customers) or you remove the cash,” he said.
“It’s a major issue and is under constant discussion.”
Last Thursday at 10.15pm, a man approached a taxi parked at the carpark of the new Coles supermarket on Monahans Road, Cranbourne.
He asked the driver, a 55-year-old Cranbourne man, if he could change a note.
When the driver went to get his wallet out, the man produced a knife and demanded the taxi driver hand over his money.
He took the cash then ran off towards Duff Street.
On Friday at 11.45pm, again on Monahans Road, 30 metres south of Duff Street, a man used a local phone box to call a taxi.
When the taxi arrived, the man opened the passenger side door, produced a knife and demanded money.
However, the taxi driver, a 54-year-old man from Kooweerup, accelerated the car and drove away.
On Saturday at 10.10pm a taxi pulled in to the carpark at Merinda Park Railway Station off Thompsons Road, Cranbourne North.
A man approached the window of the taxi and engaged the driver in conversation, before reaching into the taxi, turning off the ignition and producing a small knife and demanding money.
The driver, a 23-year-old Ormond man, gave the offender his takings, and the man ran off across the railway line.
Mr Thomas believed there would never be a solution until taxis stopped accepting cash and worked on a card only system.
He said the industry was now faced with further repercussions from incidents such as the armed robberies, with many companies, including theirs, finding it very difficult to get drivers to work at nights and on weekends.
“It’s a very sad state of affairs.
“That’s why there’s always a shortage of taxis on New Year’s Eve because of all the revellers and drunks.”
Mr Thomas urged people to keep a lookout for the offender and report anything unusual to police.
Det Sgt Grimshaw said police believed only one person was involved in the robberies and that it was the same person, presumably a local.
In all three incidents the offender was described as Caucasian, aged between 17 and 22 and 170-175cm.
He spoke well, was of thin build and was wearing a grey hooded top in one incident and a baggy hooded windcheater and baseball cap in another, and dark tracksuit pants.
Anyone with information on the first two incidents is urged to contact Detective Senior Constable Craig Small at Frankston Embona Taskforce on 9784 5555.
Anyone with information about the incident at Merinda Park Railway Station is asked to call Transit CIU on 9247 6844.