IMMIGRANT taxi drivers are set to have criminal convictions from their home country checked for the first time.

The new rules for cabbies in Wycombe are essential to protect the public, councillors asked to approve the new scheme are told.

Drivers will have to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct' from their country of origin as part of a new policy on district cabs.

This certificate - recommended by the Department for Transport - is authenticated by the driver's embassy.

A report to Wycombe District Council members, set to give the final say on the plan, states: "Although Criminal Records Bureau checks are carried out on all applicants, these checks can only verify convictions or cautions passed within the United Kingdom.

"So there is no knowledge of any possible criminal history from elsewhere."

It was therefore "essential in the interests of public safety that thorough checks are carried out".

This was all the more important given the "vulnerable" status of some passengers such as children, the disabled and the elderly.

The council's regulatory and appeal committee will be asked to approve the policy on March 3.

The council is also taking moves to remove its limit of 50 taxis that can be hailed in the street.

Once sufficient taxi rank space is found, the plan will go ahead.