The 22-year-old office administrator was killed by cab driver Christopher Halliwell after he picked up her fare from outside an Old Town nightclub on March 19, 2011.
Thousands of Swindon residents were involved in the search for Sian.
In the decade since the Old Town woman’s murder, mum Elaine Pickford, 58, has joined calls for new laws to tighten up safety checks on taxi and private hire vehicle drivers. Speaking last night, she paid tribute to the thousands of Swindon residents for their continued support.
In a joint statement issued with personal safety charity the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Ms Pickford said: “We believe that current taxi and private hire vehicle licensing requirements are not fit for purpose and should be urgently addressed as part of a much-needed push by government to prioritise the safety of women in public spaces and transport.”
10 years on from Sian O'Callaghan's murder the fight for tighter taxi licensing rules continues
Ms O'Callaghan's family is supporting an initiative by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust personal safety charity.
It said a database was in development of licence revocations and refusals for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers.
The database would help to reduce the risk of unsuitable drivers whose licence had been revoked being given a licence by a different local authority, it added.
The trust is also campaigning for national minimum standards that would require licensing authorities to carry out DBS checks on all taxi and PHV licence holders at least every nine months.
It wants to see the development of a policy too that clearly specifies which crimes and behaviours result in the revocation of driver licences, which is not limited to convictions, but also considers the nature of alleged crimes.
Sian O'Callaghan: Murdered woman's family back calls for taxi safety
