Cameras for special-ed transport after assault

All Ministry of Education-contracted vehicles used to transport special needs children will have cameras installed following the case of a driver who sexually assaulted a girl he was tasked with driving to and from her school.

The Herald revealed last week that Dennis James Dredge was jailed for two years after he repeatedly indecently assaulted a 17-year-old girl with the mental age of a 10-year-old.

The court heard Dredge assumed the girl did not have the capacity to "tell" on him. But his offending was discovered when she sent a chilling text message to her mother that read: "Why does the taxi driver like to put his hands down my pants and touch my bottom?"

Yesterday the girl's parents sent a personal letter to Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye and Prime Minister John Key appealing for mandatory cameras in vehicles used for transporting school children.

Last night they heard back from Ms Kaye, who said cameras would soon be a "requirement" in all vehicles contracted by the ministry for special-needs transport.

"In May this year, our daughter disclosed that she had been molested on a regular basis by the taxi van driver who took her to school each day. Our lives since have been changed forever," they said in their letter, demanding to know why public taxis were required by law to have cameras installed, but not school transport for vulnerable children who often could not communicate verbally.

Ms Kaye told the Herald last night that changes were imminent. "The ministry is also investigating making GPS tracking and reporting a requirement across all its school transport providers."

The girl's parents were happy something positive could come from their daughter's experience.

"We know that having cameras in vans would not be a single answer to stopping this happening again - but it would be a deterrent," her father said. "Our main point is trying to stop this from happening again to other kids."

Cameras in vehicles

• The Land Transport Rule: Operator Licensing 2007 requires taxis operating in major towns and cities to have mandatory in-vehicle camera systems.
• This does not cover non-taxi services, including shuttles and school buses.
• They cost between $1000 and $1500 each and installation is extra.
• Passengers must be made aware that cameras are operating.