UK photog threatened with arrest after photographing unruly teens

July 25, 2008 @ 6:39PM

UK photog threatened with arrest after photographing unruly teens

By Carlos Miller -...

For months, David Green of London was plagued by a group of unruly teens from a nearby school who would shout insults at him and throw rocks.

After numerous unresolved complaints to their headmaster, the 64-year-old man took matters into his own hands. He pulled out a camera and photographed the teens in action.

That was when police finally took action. Unfortunately, it was against him.

London police told Green that it was illegal to photograph teenagers against their wishes – despite them being on public property and despite them breaking the law. They said that action could lead to a charge of assault.

“We’ve had problems with this group shouting abuse and throwing stones for months, and were asked to identify them.

“When I went to take photographs of eight of them throwing cans of Coke around, six of them ran away, one threatened to kill me, and another one started phoning the police.

“A couple of hours later, a Police Community Support Officer told me I had been accused of assault, though no such thing occurred, and told me I was not allowed to take photographs of teenagers on the street.

“I think it’s wrong that when teenagers are running riot and the police are called, it’s about me, and I’m treated like a criminal,” said Green, pictured below.

Comments

Anonymous

3 years ago

In the UK it’s fear (perpetuated by the UK media, since 9/11 and our own 7/7) and self-policing (laws which do not even exist) which is causing these problems.

The most surveiled nation on earth, with a Police Service more interested in protecting the Human Rights of criminals without even knowing what the correct Law regarding photography in public places is.

Everyone in the UK is on CCTV yet a concerned citizen cannot take pictures of youth vandalising his neighbourhood without wrongly being arrested by the Police.

Just what kind of world do we want to live in one of fear and loathing where we are to scared to go outside or one where vandals, hooligans and violence is dealt with by the Police in the appropoiate way.

You violate the peace and act like an animal you lose you rights to be human. And the authorities should use zero tolerance to punish you. Not the person gathering evidence to convict you (a job the Police themselves should be doing).

Instead the Police Service in the UK are targeting soft targets a speeding ticket is easy to enforce and brings in much needed revenue to pay for an illegal war in the Middle East.

Why would theUK’s Bankrupt (morally and financially) Government want to do anything to change this when they are desperate for cash.