Mastermind and the road to Damascus

[John Wilson]

2009/2/24 Brian Morrison <bdm@fenrir.org.uk>:
> On Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:36:13 +0000
> Roland Perry <lists@internetpolicyagency.com> wrote:
>
>> The Home Office has also said "We don't intend to criminalise people for
>> taking photos of police constables whether inadvertently or not. There
>> has to be a criminal activity associated with it." Which perhaps needs
>> to be framed and hung on the wall.
>
> While that's a good thing to say (and I'll admit I'm surprised they
> didn't spout some weasel words instead) it still means that there is
> scope for detaining people for specious reasons in an awkward situation
> where the police are trying to maintain order and as a result people
> get hurt and the incident is recorded by a photographer.


That's probably the case with press photographers. Amateur street
photographers fear that it's going to be yet another excuse for ill
informed officers and PCSOs to disrupt their activity.

To be clear - I know of nobody who is a serious amateur or
professional photographer who believes that anybody is going to be
charged under this section of the act. There is, however, real concern
that people are going to be harassed using it (think suss laws).

John Wilson