insights into photography
When police carried out a routine stop-and-search of her boyfriend on the London Underground, Gemma Atkinson filmed the incident. She was detained, handcuffed and threatened with arrest. She launched a legal battle, which ended with the police settling the case in 2010. With the money from the settlement she funded the production of this animated film, which she says shows how her story and highlights police misuse of counterterrorism powers to restrict photography
Who would you count on to know and understand the law, probably a member of the police I would guess. Here is a sorry tale from the ‘ police don’t know what they are talking about’ folder. The people over at Photocritic.org have a tale from an amateur photographer who was given a right run around by the police for doing something that is completely legal. Here is the start of the article which in it’s fullness is shocking
“A few days ago, I received an e-mail from a reader who had been through an interesting ordeal by the hands of UK police. They wanted a bit of advice, and I figured more of you might like to learn a little bit more about what happens when you are given a stern talking to by police about taking photos in a public place.”...more
I wrote about this problem recently and if you have a look here you will find a full and reasoned article from a person who does understand the law, I would suggest you download it and print it off it is from the Sirimo people and is called UK Photographers Rights. You can show it to the ignorant person who tells you that you cannot take pictures here.
Oxford School of Photography 