Increasing infringement by the Police of Photographers’ Rights to take photographs in public places

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The idea

I grow increasingly concerned, like thousands of my fellow photographers, by the continuing instances of police harrassment of photographers in public places, who are breaking no existing laws.

Despite repeated government confirmations that photographers are free to pursue their business/hobby in public places, and issuance of guidelines to various police forces, day after day cases continue to surface of ill-informed police personnel harrassing these individuals.

The latest case took place a few days ago in Romford. This link,  british-journal-of-photography/news  provides the details.

What further steps are the Home Office taking to ensure that the laws governing this area of the rights of the citizen are fully understood by all police employees and the Security Guards who are frequently the prime instigators in initiating harrassment?
Are disciplinary measures taken against offending officers to focus the minds of the police on their obligations to observe the law, not create their own, as they go along? How many more successful claims against the Police will it take for it to be understood that this behaviour is unacceptable? It serves to further alienate the police service from the law-abiding public, and so is counter-productive in securing the public's cooperation.

 

Why is it important?

Present behaviour by some police serves to further alienate the police service from the law-abiding public, and so is counter-productive in securing the public's cooperation.

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