The chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation has called for the introduction of a photography code.

Peter Smyth said the Federation shared concerns expressed by photographers about Section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 which creates a new offence of eliciting, publishing or communicating information about the Armed Forces, intelligence services or police which may be used by terrorists.

It follows protests in the capital yesterday outside New Scotland Yard on the day Act became law, reports Media Lawyer.

Professional and amateur photographers say the new law gives police the power to stop and search them at any opportunity, under the pretext they might doing something “useful to someone preparing to committing an act of terrorism”.

Mr Smyth said he was supporting a call by Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell for a photography code to be drawn up by the Home Office and professional bodies.

He said the Code “should be to facilitate photography wherever possible, rather than seek reasons to bar it”.

“Police and photographers share the streets and the Met Federation earnestly wants to see them doing so harmoniously,” he added.

“Good relationships between the police and media benefit everyone, including the public, which both sides exist to serve.

“As things stand, there is a real risk of photographers being hampered in carrying out their legitimate work and of police officers facing opprobrium for carrying out what they genuinely, if mistakenly, believe are duties imposed on them by the law.”

The Home Office argues the new powers are intended to help protect those in the front line of counter terrorism operations and that photographing police officers would not be an offence except in “very exceptional circumstances”.

Comments

Ray McCann (18/02/2009 13:19:33)
A junior official probably just made an error in the wording but ministers now end up defending this silly mistake – one which dramatically undermines everyone’s personal liberty and will make overseas tourists feel they are visiting a police state.

Unhappysnapper (18/02/2009 15:18:07)
There needs to be some kind of official code of practice agreed between the Police Federation and the Media. The current set of NUJ guidelines are only that – guidelines – and are left entirely to the discretion of an individual officer at the scene of an incident. As a Press Photographer I’m forever being hassled by Police when I turn up to photograph road accidents, fires and any other incidents where the Police are present. The problem is that a lot of officers simply do not know the Law regarding photography and they think that because somewhere is cordoned off because of an incident, photography is not permitted. An agreed code of practice between both parties would be benefical and would allow Press photographers to do their job without being hassled by Police officers who only try and stop them because they think they can.

fedupofhassle (22/02/2009 23:11:39)
Whilst not an official Press Photographer, I do mostly freelance photography. Since all this has started happening I have been literally avoiding going out in any “public” areas with my DSLR for fear of being branded a terrorist / pedo or going through the (quite humiliating) ordeal of being stopped and questioned by a PC or PCSO for simply carrying a “high powered camera”. Not only does a code of conduct need to be agreed between the Police and Press photographers, this code of conduct should also cover freelancers, stock photographers, and also the amateur GWC brigade as well. Otherwise you risk a mentality of “all photographers are equal, but some are more equal than others”. This continued harassment of law-abiding citizens has to stop, and clear guidelines and training issued to ALL police officers, police community support officers, security staff, park wardens, and anyone else who seems to think they have the right to sieze equipment / delete images / assault photographers / arrest photographers going about the course of their daily business, whether that be commercial or hobbyist.

John DM (23/02/2009 02:19:42)
i have to agree that the growing intrusion into personal privacy makes me reluctant to visit the UK, and from a distance (Canada) i’m beginning to see the growth of a police state. It’s time for change, folks

Edzo COLLINS (23/02/2009 04:16:31)
I have been taking Photographs for more than 30 years, one day during a protest my camera was grabed by the police an she tried to rip it from my neck when that did not happen she kicked me in the groin with steel toe boots, when I still would not give up my camera, 2 more police grabed me and stretched me in 3 diferent directions one still by by the camera strap.After assaulting me the police threw me down a deep drain on the side of the road about 10 deep. Filled with blackish waste from a Shell refinery and was brought up on charges of lies because I made a complaint when I was released from the Hospital, The case was dismissed, My L5 was crushed and the camera survived the attack. There needs to be rights of laws governig the rights of photographers not instilling search tactics an of taking their camreas an film. The police just want to control what gets put out in the free world press, Unreal what next?

dfphotography (25/02/2009 13:33:06)
I’ve started collecting the ‘stop and search’ forms. probably will be able to wallpaper my office by the end of the week!

Ru_anderson (26/02/2009 01:27:03)
there is i think a story to be had doing some decent analysis of teh stop and search tactics in central london at least. we seem to have phases where there is a heavy presence outside certain stations and while it may well be in response to certain intelligence it dose cross my mind that it might be an easy way to ballance uncomfortable statistics. on the specific issue of being stopped while taking picks Project griffon in the city of london seems to have encourages security guards to watch each others buildings and liase with neighbouring buildings – but it is galling to be politely told to stop taking pics near a back door of an office block becase there were store sheds and a railway bridge nearby. when in fact a the gaurd had no right to tell me thugh he could have asked – there was a woman smoking beside the store room door and two white vans were in teh parking bays under the bridge!!!
the other classic one i heard a few months ago was a police officer telling a frustratd photographer that he( the officer) didn’t have to justify himself to anyone. It is that arrogance and potential for corruption that causes the greatest concern and frustration.