The Metropolitan Police has issued guidance to its officers to remind them that using a camera in public is not in itself a terrorist offence.
There has been increasing concern in recent months that police have been over-using terrorism laws and public order legislation to harass professional and amateur photographers. The issue was raised in Parliament and the Home Office agreed to look at the rules.
The guidance reminds officers that the public do not need a licence to take photographs in the street and the police have no power to stop people taking pictures of anything they like, including police officers.
That's better. Fucking rozzers have been far too fucking keen to try and suppress photo taking. And yet ...
The over-used Terrorism Act of 2000 does not ban photography either, although it does allow police to look at images on phones or cameras during a search to see if they could be useful to a terrorist.
Jesus. "Yes, it's a photo of the Houses of Parliament. That could be useful to a terrorist."
Cunts.
1 comment:
There is way too much vagueness in the powers of the police. Officers should be made responsible for any action that they 'consider' to be breach of the peace or 'useful to terrorists' and citizens inconvenienced by police actions that eventually turn out to be unwarranted should be compensated BY THE OFFICER(s) CONCERNED, not from public funds. That will help them think a bit more clearly, I would think.
Post a Comment