POLICE and Bury Council have joined forces to slash crime against taxi drivers.

If a pilot project is successful,taxi drivers in the Bury area will have a CCTV camera in each cab linked directly to the police via a central control room.

The new system, called Chubb Cabwatch, aims to increase safety and cut the number of attacks, thefts and vandalism against drivers and their vehicles. If the driver feels threatened or fears an attack, a secret button will send an alert to a state of the art monitoring station

This pinpoints the location, direction and speed of the car through Global Positioning Satellite . An audio channel also transmits sound in the car for extra security.

Bury public protection spokeswoman Coun Pam Walker said: "Sadly, and sometimes tragically, taxi drivers are the victims not just of crime, but serious violence.

"We want to see that brought to a stop."

Police and council staff hope the cameras will deter would-be offenders or provide visual evidence that can be used in prosecutions.

Co-chairman of the Bury Community Safety Partnership, Chief Superintendent Phil Hollowood, said: "Police work closely with the drivers to arrest those responsible and bring them before the courts."