Women in business: Cab cameras help catch violent criminals

With a background in sales and marketing, Vanessa Malloy never thought her work would help police to catch violent criminals.
But her job at Show Off Onboard Entertainment & Security has seen her involved in resolving high-profile attacks on taxi drivers.
Show Off installs security cameras in taxis, helping to keep  taxi drivers and passengers safe.
And with the recent attacks on two taxi drivers in Tauranga, Mrs Malloy helped provide police with CCTV images of the assaults.
"I have been to the car, uploaded the images to my laptop and given them to the police.
"I started off in advertising and I never envisaged I would be doing security and watching these attacks on camera."
While the cost of security cameras can be off-putting for many taxi drivers, Show Off has developed what Mrs Malloy says is a "win-win" system.
The company sells advertising which screens on the back of the headrest in the car. That advertising effectively pays for the cost of the cameras.
"The concept behind it is  that taxi drivers need security and can't afford it," Mrs Malloy said.
"We started off doing advertising and decided to combine the two products, so we can help them pay off the security with advertising."
Each taxi is fitted out with two cameras, to protect  the driver and passenger.
Mrs Malloy is the general manager of the company, which has its head office in Tauranga. Cameras have been installed in 80 per cent of the Tauranga Mount Taxis fleet and in all of the cars in the Nelson City Taxis fleet.
The company was formed just two years ago, with Mrs Malloy taking the helm a year ago. She manages six staff in Tauranga and one permanent staff member in Nelson, as well as contractors and technical workers.
But the business looks set to expand as Transport Minister Steven Joyce pushes to make security cameras compulsory in all taxis.
Show Off has worked with  the NZ Taxi Federation and the Ministry of Transport on the proposal.
If the cameras are made compulsory, Show Off hopes to secure a national contract to provide security cameras for all federation members.
That would require a staff increase of 20 people - more than tripling the size of the business.
It's been a big leap for Mrs Malloy, who admitted she "didn't even know how to use the DVD player" before she started doing security work. Previously a sales and marketing co-ordinator at Western Bay Finance, she joined Show Off with a focus on the advertising branch.
But she has come to love the taxi industry.
"The biggest thing for Show Off is it's a real win-win, we are assisting the general public.
"You would be surprised how many people take taxis, and it is now safe."
In Australia, attacks on taxi drivers  had been reduced by nearly 70 per cent in states where security cameras are compulsory.