The Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) is advising parents to warn their children to be careful when using the public transportation system.

The CISOCA issued the warning after they noticed that the number of taxi operators, conductors, and bus drivers arrested for sexual offences against children since January of this year is almost the same as the entire 2005. Since the start of the year, the police said they have arrested and charged six taxi operators, two bus drivers and one conductor in comparison to the entire 2005 where one bus driver, six taxi operators and two conductors were arrested.

The centre said parents should advise children to take only public passenger vehicles that frequent the route and are driven by people who are familiar to both children and parents so that in the event of a sexual offence, they can easily be identified. Parents should also advise their children to get colour, make and registration of the vehicles and also make observation of the driver and passengers where possible.

Stick together

Children are also warned not to stand in lonely areas and when possible, travel in groups with persons from immediate area and also be on the look out for strange vehicles soliciting passengers in the area.

The owners of public transportation vehicles who employ drivers should be careful of whom they hire as the vehicle can be seized if drivers are involved in a crime.

CISOCA says it will be publishing more tips in an attempt to minimise the number of sexual offences caused by persons posing as bus operators, taxi operators and conductors.