Incident and Activity reports

June_26th_2010 Jules Mattsson, a 16-year-old freelancer from Hackney, East London, was ordered to stop taking photographs. What followed was recorded (audio only) and reveals a litany of confused accusation, justification and explanation by the officers, despite a spirited and well-presented factual defence from the teenager. The Met have promised an investigation.

May_10th_2010 Award-winning freelance photographer Grant Smith was stopped and searched, and had equipment seized, by City of London police. He reported via Twitter that his camera and phone were confiscated just days after the '6 month anniversary' of a previous section 44 stop and search. The items were returned at the scene.

Feb_28th_2010 Fine art photographer Robert Norbury was shopping in Leeds when a council official and a PCSO approached him after he photographed some buskers. In the course of the 'discussion' that followed, Mr Norbury photographed the officials - leading to claims that doing so was 'not allowed' and comments about terrorism. Mr. Norbury (a retired officer with 30 years experience) helped the pair with pointers to the actual law, and continued on his way.

Feb_18th_2010 Kevin Geraghty-Shewan had taken a photo of his four-year-old son playing on a train ride at the Bridges Shopping Centre in Sunderland. A security guard allegedly banned him from taking more pictures of his own son, telling Kevin that he could have been a paedophile. Kevin added: 'A few minutes later a policeman walked in and approached me so they must have been tracking me on CCTV.' Kevin said the police officer then asked him to delete his pictures and demanded his name and address.

Feb_17th_2010 Amateur photographer Stephen Russell (Maffi to his friends) was questioned, intially under anti-terrorist legislation, in the Oxfordshire town of Kidlington. The police officers asked Maffi to delete the pictures he had taken, as he had not "asked the officers' permission". Maffi complained to the police for the way he was treated, and subsequently received and accepted an apology for the officer's actions.

Dec_25th_2009 Norfolk police confiscate cameras from visitors to Sandringham who hoped to photograph the Royal Family as they attended the traditional Christmas church service. A Norfolk Constabulary spokesperson later said: “An officer, in error, requested cameras from members of the public. We will be allowing the public to keep their cameras, in accordance with a long-standing agreement.”

Dec_19th_2009 Amateur photographer Bob Patefield was questioned, intially under anti-terrorist legislation, and police later arrested him for refusing to provide his details. They claimed pictures he was taking in a Lancashire town were "suspicious" and constituted "antisocial behaviour".

Dec_8th_2009 Freelance photographer Grant Smith was stopped and searched by City of London police after security staff at a major bank in the City reported concerns over the "apparently hostile behaviour of a man taking photos of their staff." Australian photographer Smith later claimed that he had simply told the security guards that he was doing nothing more than taking photographs in a public place, and for that reason declined to provide them with his personal details. A City of London Police spokesman confirmed the section 44 Stop (and Search); adding, "He was informed that, in light of the concerns of security staff, and in the absence of an explanation, he would be searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. After the man’s bag was searched, he gave his details and explained he was a freelance photographer taking photos of buildings. Once this explanation was received, there was no further action".

Dec_1st_2009 Brighton photographer Andrew White was stopped in Burgess Hill, Sussex, by two PCSOs who were "concerned that he appeared to be taking too many photographs in a busy shopping area and therefore spoke to him". They recorded his details on a police 'stop and account' form.

Nov_25th_2009 A BBC photographer was stopped on the south bank of the river Thames by a policewoman, accompanied by a community support officer, who informed him she was "stopping people who were taking photographs, as a counter-terrorism measure". He stood his ground, and the pair left to continue their 'counter-terrorism investigation' with other photographers.

Oct_27th_2009 Keen photographer Garry Chinchen was left stunned when a officer from South Wales Police threatened to arrest him for 'breach of the peace' despite an officer admitting the images he had taken were perfectly lawful. Garry had stopped in a lay-by after seeing an opportunity to photograph JetSkiers at Glyn Neath Lakes - a watersports centre adjacent to the A465 in South Wales.

Oct_5th_2009 Two PCSOs called to visit Malcolm Dike after a member of the public thought he had been taking pictures, from his own house, of children at a nearby youth centre.

Sept_18th_2009 A photography enthusiast says he was made to feel like a criminal and had to call a doctor out after police stopped him filming in a Cheshire park.

Jul_24th_2009 A Southampton City Council park official stopped 82-year-old Betty Robinson from taking pictures of an empty paddling pool, in case she was a paedophile. The Council later admitted the official had acted 'overzealously'.

Jun_9th_2009 Fear of paedophiles lead to Chichester's Haven holiday park imposing a ban on pictures that meant a father was not allowed to photograph his own son.

Jun_8th_2009 Photographer Alex Turner was arrested and detained for 45 minutes under s44 of the Terrorism Act (2000) for taking pictures in Chatham High Street. He was later released and told no further action would be taken. He filed a complaint against the action of the officers involved. As a result of the complaint, an internal police investigation took place, the result of which was that Mr. Turner's "complaints relating to unlawful and unnecessary arrest and detention have been recorded as proven".

Apr_16th_2009 Austrian tourist forced by police to delete photos of Walthamstow bus station, 'to prevent terrorism'.

Mar_25th_2009 Undercover police attempt to search Gemma Atkinson after she filmed them searching her boyfriend, allegedly claiming "...it is an offence under the Terrorism Act to film police officers...". She has since issued a High Court challenge to their actions.

Jun_24th_2008 50 year-old Rob McCaffrey hangs up his camera after a year in which he was stopped for taking photographs of buses in Wales and had his details run through the Police National Computer by a PCSO for the same 'offence'.

Dec_1st_2007 Police seized films from amateur photographer Steve Carroll, accusing him of obtaining photographs of possibly sensitive material in Hull city centre.

Nov_18th_2007 Amateur Photographer Phil Smith was stopped (and issued with a 'Stop and Search form') by a Suffolk Police office after she saw him taking pictures from a public spectator area in front of Ipswich Town Hall at the town's Christmas Lights switch-on event. Police later admitted they may have been 'overzealous'.

Mar_13th_2007 Two PCSOs stopped two members of staff from Amateur Photographer magazine, citing a routine security check under the Terrorism Act 2000. They had been seen taking pictures of the Houses of Parliament.