Stupid British Police try to stop man from filming them - from his own doorstep!

F

Flake

Guest
Every day the Police attempts to make the Keystone cops look a model of competence & efficiency takes a step further!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ca_1319809507

Just this last week I spent a full 5 hours as a witness to a very serious offence, despite it being 3 months since the incident the case didn't proceed because the useless bunch had lost the main part of the evidence so I have to go back in another 4 months, by which time they might just have found it!

What a shambles, but when they're officious & ignorant, it just makes it worse.
 
It's really the same thinking as people that get harassed by Police (and especially security guards) for taking photos of buildings or transport infrastructure. I can see the thinking behind not wanting people to take pictures of Police Officers, which could be used maliciously to identify them and target them whilst off duty. The fact of the matter is that if it is someone's intention to target a Police Officer in this way, they can easily do so in a far more covert manner (just like anyone planning a terrorist attack could easily make do with a mobile phone camera or Google Streetview rather than a DSLR and tripod). So all this Police targeting of citizens that are overtly filming their actions serves to do, is to give the impression that they are trying to cover up disreputable conduct (I am making no judgement here upon the validity of such a supposition). It's time that the law and Police training caught up with the fact that we are living in the 21st Century; this may be difficult in a country where some lawmakers only recently realised that it was no longer the 19th Century!
 
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This is getting crazy and annoying. Some cops are out of their mind.
I'm about to visit the UK next year and I start worrying which equipment might not look offensive to certain security guards or cops. Looks like I'm doomed to use my small Ixus instead of taking my DSLR with me.
:mad:
Crossing fingers that this US police department gets condemned to pay damages at least. People need to go public with incidents like that.
 
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DJL329

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passserby said:
Raddy said:
This is getting crazy and annoying. Some cops are out of their mind.

That's unfortunately true. It's even worse with security guards. Here is a video where a few photographers are checking out what happens if they take pictures in public in the UK:
http://londonstreetphotographyfestival.org/diary/stand-your-ground
The video is awesome, but the whole situation is pretty sad to be honest.

As for the cops and the US, some states have now a law that makes it illegal to film/record police in action. It is pretty clear that this kind of law goes against the first amendment to the constitution and therefore is going to get nullified at some point, but for now some poor guy in Illinois is facing 75 years in jail for recording police:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/illinois-man-faces-75-years-in-jail-for-filming-police/

Fortunately, "some point" was just a month later:

http://reason.com/blog/2011/09/20/illinois-judge-rejects-eavesdr
 
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J

J. McCabe

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Go into a public building (hospital, mall, bus station, train station, library, etc) in Israel with a DSLR, and there's a good chance the guard at the entrance will tell you it's forbidden to take photos inside the building.

Some local shops forbid people from photographing inside. Local newspapers reported about employees of one store going with a camera into a competitor's store to photograph the prices and being escorted out by security to enforce that rule.

With the possible exception of hospitals, the practice is illegal, but the security guys don't really care.
 
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B

briansquibb

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Raddy said:
This is getting crazy and annoying. Some cops are out of their mind.
I'm about to visit the UK next year and I start worrying which equipment might not look offensive to certain security guards or cops. Looks like I'm doomed to use my small Ixus instead of taking my DSLR with me.

Dont get paranoid about it - the reported incidents are the exception - that is why they are reported. I regularly take pictures of police without any problems.

My advice is to turn up outside known tourist spots and take pictures from the boadwalk. Do it very obviously and calmly. You have every right to take pictures in the street and there is nothing anyone can do about it. A policeman may ask you to move on - that is the limit of their powers - smile sweetly and ask if you can just take a picture of the tourist spot. If they say no just move on - they cant take the camera etc.

I regularly set up with tripod, 1D4 and 400 f/2.8 in the street and yes I attract attention from them, but just simple, polite conversation is all that ensues. UK police are normally unarmed, so if you see an armed policeman be a lot more aware as it either means it is a sensitive building (most likely) or an operation is going down. If in doubt walk up to the policeman and ask if it is OK to take pictures.

Here are a couple of photos to help you recognise a policeman and a police car ;D ;D
 

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P

Picsfor

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OK, my take on the thread video - well done to that man for standing his groud and knowing his rights, and humiliating a couple of knob head cops.

Secondly, for people looking to visit the UK, do not be afraid to bring your kit. The whole photography and filming thing is really being spot lighted in the media right now due media practice and police corruption investigations, let alone the raising of the matter in the House of Commons by a certain prominent MP.

As said, if the person whom you are ikley to photogaph is carrying a gun, use a drop of discretion. In the UK Police are not allowed to carry guns or even Tazer's routinely, so the fact that they are means they are dealing with a security sensitive issue.

A lot of areas in London where the goons (security gaurds) were known to be over zealous, have been told to tone it down as well. A good example is the Mayor of London's building, which routinely saw the goons hounding anyone with a camera. Now they only come up to you if you are pointing a camera towards the bank of security monitors that can be seen through the glass wall!!!

My most recent photographic trip to London was the most pleasurable yet with regards to being hounded, and outisde of London it is almost unheard of to be hounded at all. Shopping Centres (Malls) is still an issue but then it does tell you at the doors so...
 
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