Passengers hiring any of the 1000-plus fleet of taxis in Scotland�s largest city could soon be caught on CCTV, amid concerns of potential legal action due to infringement of civil liberties and human rights.

Passengers hiring any of the 1000-plus fleet of taxis in Scotland's largest city could soon be caught on CCTV, amid concerns of potential legal action due to infringement of civil liberties and human rights.

The move, which is designed to enhance the safety of both drivers and the public, could be implemented by the end of the year and extended into the hundreds of private hire cars also operating in Glasgow.

The use of CCTV cameras and recording equipment would bring Glasgow into line with Manchester, Liverpool, Gateshead and London, as well as East Renfrewshire Council, the first authority in Scotland to permit their use.

A pilot scheme is also under way in Dundee, with the results expected in the coming weeks.

It comes on the back of a recent survey, carried out by the Scottish Government, which found one in three taxi drivers has been assaulted at work and the case of John Worboys, the London taxi driver, recently jailed for drugging female passengers by spiking champagne and then sexually assaulting them.

It is believed that he was responsible for almost 100 attacks.

Although the move has been welcomed by the trade it has been condemned by the city's Green councillors and city MSP Patrick Harvie, who said the party "remains completely opposed to creeping video surveillance of this sort".

Just last week reports claimed that some 500,000 requests for access to private e-mail and phone data came from public bodies in 2008 and that this included 1500 requests for surveillance powers from UK councils.

Ahead of any implementation, which, if agreed, will authorise it to permit the use of cameras in all cabs within its jurisdiction, the city council has warned that the move could lead to court action against it in terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Licensing chiefs are now set to begin a six-week consultation with the Information Commissioner, Strathclyde Police and representatives of the taxi and private hire car trades to discuss how the scheme could operate within the parameters of civil liberties.

One issue the council will have to confront is the type of system which would be used and the assurance that it could not be tampered with by third parties, including drivers, and the integrity of the recorded images contaminated.

The council said: "The installation of CCTV equipment in taxis and private hire cars may increase the sense of safety felt by passengers and drivers. Installation may also have a positive impact on reducing crime and antisocial behaviour. However, images captured must be stored in a way which maintains the integrity of the image.

"Protection to passengers and drivers due to the installation of CCTV cameras must be balanced against the potential infringement of civil liberties and human rights by the recording of a person's activities."

Trials in East Renfrewshire were carried out earlier this year, including one in the cab of a driver who had been the subject of a serious assault while working in January.

When a vehicle was fitted with a CCTV system, orange A5-size warning notices were fixed to the vehicle and the drivers asked to ensure that all passengers travelling in their vehicles were informed of the operation of the CCTV system.

No complaints have been received about the use of the systems and the council claims the scheme appears to have been welcomed.

But Mr Harvie said: "Most people have a common-sense expectation that they have some degree of privacy in the back of a taxi, and this proposal is likely to reinforce the perception that local councils are snooping on citizens as they go about their business.

"It's also worth noting that the paper contains no real justification of any kind - it simply states that such systems are technically possible and that some other local authorities have already gone down this route. That's not a rationale. If there was any clear argument that video surveillance in taxis is needed, it would be in the report."

But Robert Dunabie, of Glasgow TOA Taxis said: "This is an advantageous scheme for drivers and passengers. It will improve the overall feeling of security within the cab but it would have to be a system which drivers could not tamper with."