Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Deliveroo plan to train riders to spot crimes is criticised

Deliveroo plan to train riders to spot crimes is criticised

CONCERNS have been raised over Deliveroo’s new project to train its riders to spot crimes in the UK, with some claiming that it will give rise to “quasi-police”. The company also faces questions over the safety of its riders, most of whom are from the BAME community, amid allegations that the new plan is “not the solution”.

Under a proposal to use its network of couriers as “a force for good", Deliveroo has partnered with Neighborhood Watch to train their riders to spot crimes while at work.


Jake Hurfurt of privacy watchdog Big Brother, however, there are questions over whether the public will want Deliveroo riders to "become a privatised, quasi-police force".

There is a risk of creating "an army of poorly-trained snoopers that would be more Johnny English than James Bond", Hurfurt was quoted as saying in a BBC report.

Calling the plan a badly-judged PR move, Hurfurt claimed that it will be "bad for workers, bad for communities and bad for the company's reputation".

Ahmed Hafezi from the courier branch of the IWGB union said the plan is "divisive" and added that riders have repeatedly reported the inadequacy of Deliveroo's process for supporting workers who have been assaulted on the job.

“Often, when couriers report incidents to Deliveroo and other courier companies, the first question is about the welfare of the package, not the human being delivering it."

"The solution to this is definitely not more policing. Couriers, the majority of whom are BAME, are already subject to disproportionate police stops and immigration checks.”

Under Deliveroo’s new scheme, drivers can undertake optional training, created by Neighbourhood Watch and verified by the Metropolitan Police, in which they will be trained to spot signs of street harassment, domestic abuse, human trafficking and drug dealing.

Deliveroo founder Will Shu said, "Riders have carried out a vital role during the pandemic and are well-placed to build on this experience to spot any concerns in the neighbourhoods in which they work and live."

More For You

Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Investigators focus on engine fuel controls as Air India crash report nears release

Highlights:

 
     
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel control switches in the Air India crash.
  •  
  • The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
  •  
  • A preliminary report is expected by Friday, around 30 days after the crash.

A PRELIMINARY report into the Air India crash that killed 241 people in June is expected by Friday, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak has returned to the banking world as senior adviser at Goldman Sachs group, with plans to donate his salary to the education charity he recently established with his wife Akshata Murty.

The US-headquartered multinational investment bank, where Sunak worked before entering politics, made the announcement on Tuesday (8) after the requisite 12-month period elapsed since the British Indian leader's ministerial term concluded following defeat in the general election on July 4 last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London.

Getty Images

Post Office scandal linked to 13 suicides, says inquiry

Highlights:

 
     
  • Public inquiry finds up to 13 suicides linked to wrongful Post Office prosecutions.
  •  
  • Horizon IT system faults led to false accusations, financial ruin, and imprisonment.
  •  
  • Sir Wyn Williams says Post Office maintained a “fiction” of accurate data despite known faults.

A PUBLIC inquiry has found that up to 13 people may have taken their own lives after being wrongly accused of financial misconduct by the Post Office, in what is now described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK ramps up drought response following driest spring

The EA has begun conducting more compliance checks on high-usage industries

Getty Images

UK ramps up drought response following driest spring since 1893

Key points

  • Spring 2025 was England’s driest and warmest in over 130 years
  • Reservoirs across England only 77% full, compared to 93% average
  • Environment Agency increases monitoring and drought planning
  • North-west England officially declared in drought

Water conservation measures stepped up ahead of summer

The UK government has increased efforts to manage water resources after confirming that England experienced its driest and warmest spring since 1893. The Environment Agency (EA) reported that reservoirs were on average only 77% full, significantly lower than the usual 93% for this time of year.

The announcement came after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday, which reviewed the impact of continued dry weather on crops, canal navigation, and river flows. Poor grass growth and dry soil conditions were noted as threats to food production and livestock feed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Norman Tebbit

Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Former minister, Thatcher ally Norman Tebbit dies at 94

Norman Tebbit, a close ally of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and a former Conservative Party cabinet minister, has died at the age of 94. His son William confirmed the news on Tuesday.

"At 11:15 pm on 7th July, 2025, Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94," William Tebbit said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less