Police Officer making up a law

[indigomagic]

Just found this and wondered what the mumsnetter consensus is.

(attempting link)

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/officers-claim-they-dont-need-law-to-stop-photographer-taking-pi ctures-2012827.html

Basically, it is a 16 year old freelancer photographer, who is taking photos at a parade. He gets stopped by the police and amongst other things is told it is illegal to take photos of minors without parental consent, it is illegal to take photos of a police officer, and he is considered a threat under the Terrorism Act.

There is a recording of altercation with the police. Personally, I think he was in the right, and it is good to see a young person willing to stand up for themselves. However, endless repeats of 'under what law...?' may not be the least antagonistic way of going about things - but, he is 16! The confusion surrounding the laws on photgraphy need to be clarified, although as the Chief of Police Officers have already issued several briefings to police forces explaining current laws, I am not sure what else can be done.

Thing is, ACPO says this is rubbish and police officers have no right to act in this way. longfinger, you may well be right about ACPO generally, but on this their public party line is reasonable. Don't know whether in private forces or officers have been given a nod and a wink that they can carry on making stuff up, though.

Kent police have form on similar issues btw - they were held to have acted unlawfully in suppressing democratic protest at the Kingsnorth power station IIRC.

This is a longstanding problem, and it's getting worse. Amateur Photographer magazine - hardly a bastion of radicalism - will give a free lensecloth away in its July edition, with your legal rights as a photographer printed on it. Many of its readers have been threatened by the police quoting non-existent laws and several thousand of us protested against this in Trafalgar Square in January.

I went on an anti English Defence League march in Cardiff a couple of weeks ago and the police were happy to let us take photos. Me and my DH weren't challeneged once. Their crowd control was shit though!