Petition to clarify law on photographing police officers
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights recently observed:
We therefore do not share the concerns expressed in the media that the new offence criminalises taking photographs of the police. However, we do regard as significant the fact that this is being widely reported as a matter of concern to journalists. Legal uncertainty about the reach of criminal offences can have a chilling effect on the activities of journalists and protestors. We therefore recommend that, to eliminate any scope for doubt about the scope of the new offence in section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act 2008, guidance be issued to the police about the scope of the offence in light of the decision of the Court of Appeal, and specifically addressing concerns about its improper use to prevent photographing or filming police.
The above is at paragraph 85 of Volume I:
- PDF: Demonstrating respect for rights? A human rights approach to policing protest (Volume I)
- PDF: Demonstrating respect for rights? A human rights approach to policing protest (Volume II)
Here is "the decision of the Court of Appeal" referred to above.
There is an E-Petition at Number10.gov.uk which says:
On the 16th of February, the Government passed a law (in the Counter Terrorism Act) making it illegal to take a photograph of a police office, military personnel or member of the intelligence services - or a photograph which "may be of use for terrorism". This definition is vague at best, and open to interpretation by the police - who under Home Secretary guidelines can "restrict photography in public places". We call for these vague restrictions to be lifted, as they can easily be mis-used by the police.
There is further reading on the NCPS website at: