Police activity re photographers

[peterbj7]

What do you think of this?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...rorism-Act-for-doing-geography-fieldwork.html

 

[lostprophet]

Its the UK, it happens all the time. It'll never change it will just get worse

try doing what I do and wear one of these http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/photographer-not-terrorist-black-tshirt/36969676

 

[skieur]

The only way that this sort of police abuse is going to stop is that if a photographer goes out shooting in the same area with his lawyer and a reporter, and if the same sort of action occurs, start a lawsuit against the police for harassment etc. and find out if there is sufficient interest among other photographers in the area to make it a class action suit.

skieur

 

[Lyncca]

Its the UK, it happens all the time. It'll never change it will just get worse

try doing what I do and wear one of these http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/photographer-not-terrorist-black-tshirt/36969676

That's awesome!

 

[gsgary]

I was stopped by one of these plonkers last week for street photography he told me i had to stop i told him i wasn't and he better get his facts right so i carried on while he got on his radio but he never came back

 

[a_spaceman]

What do you think of this?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...rorism-Act-for-doing-geography-fieldwork.html

i think tha facts told in there are as bad as the newspaper itself...!

 

[Alex_B]

I myself was already stopped under the Terrorism act earlier this year in London ... still got the documents on my desk ... you get used to it

 

[Garbz]

Hopefully still unread in the "in" tray where they belong.

 

[pm63]

Its the UK, it happens all the time. It'll never change it will just get worse

try doing what I do and wear one of these http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/photographer-not-terrorist-black-tshirt/36969676

That reminds me, a few months ago me and a couple of friends were walking in Regents Park. As you may be aware, the American ambassador has his house there and that's where George Bush stays at when he's in London. This was a few days before the visit, and there were concrete blocks, police etc. My Chinese friend had borrowed my camera and was taking the odd snap along the way of the canal, flowers, that sort of stuff, when he was stopped by police. I went over and told them it was my camera etc, anxious not to get it confiscated but they told me and him that under the Terrorism Act they could stop and search so they did, and that it had nothing to do with taking photos. But alas, on the slip of paper they gave him it said "suspicious behaviour - taking photographs".

Anyway, his birthday is soon and me and the other friend are getting him one of those t-shirts :lmao:

Also UKers should watch this: [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UXk4nLIv5jo[/ame]

 

[skieur]

From reading the Terrorism Act, I do not believe that it allows the police to arbitrarily stop and search anyone. The test used in law and related to this issue is that there must be "reasonable cause" to suspect the person of terrorism even though a warrant may not be required under the act.

No judge would agree that taking photos constitutes any sort of "reasonable cause" to suspect anyone of terrorism. In fact, no serious terrorist has ever been caught with a camera and photos have never been involved in the planning of any serious terrorist atrocity.

So the community police in England seem to be abusing the constitutional rights to freedom of expression of photographers.

Time for a lawsuit, if you are serious about your rights.

skieur

 

[Patm1313]

It's very obvious that the cops were experienced photographers that just didn't like camera phones.

On a more serious note, that's just stupid, and isn't it illegal for them to threaten the boy with arrest if he doesn't sign papers?

 

[skieur]

On a more serious note, that's just stupid, and isn't it illegal for them to threaten the boy with arrest if he doesn't sign papers?

Well, the boy cannot be arrested without a charge and taking photos is not illegal even under the Terrorism Act. Intimidation and threatening is also considered assault in most jurisdictions.

skieur