On the day that it becomes illegal to take pictures of police engaged
in counter-terrorist operations – in practice a ban on taking
pictures of the police – it is worth noting events in Brighton
recently where police set up outside a cafe and photographed people
attending a meeting about the environment.
According to the Brighton Argus, members of the Cowley Club, which
was hosting a meeting of Earth First, "were confronted with four
uniformed officers outside the Somerfield store, opposite the venue,
snapping visitors using a paparazzi-style lens". One of the club
members, David Biset, said the police were behaving in a deliberately
"intimidating manner". He said:
The local MP, David Lepper, agrees that the police operation was
designed to scare activists rather than prevent crime, and has written
to the divisional commander for Brighton and Hove demanding to know
why officers were photographing people engaged in a political activity.
The police have refused to comment other than to produce the usual
assertion that this was a normal police operation.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
But of course this action breaches the Human Rights Act, which guarantees
freedom of association. It is clear that people will not feel free
to meet on these legitimate matters of concern if the police are taking
photographs and adding images to a database. What is worrying is that
this operation may be an intimation of things to come with the new
central intelligence unit set up by Acpo to monitor activists and
extremist groups.
Although I write as someone who has no particular axe to grind about
the police, I am beginning to wonder whether we have a serious problem
with a police force that believes it is entitled to monitor political
activity. Set against the new law banning photographs of the police
– which surely will be used by every policeman parked on a double
yellow line or meting out the rough justice – there is increasing
tendency of the police to photograph people in an aggressive fashion.
It shows an innate lack of respect for the innocent citizen and the
conventions of our free society, which is extremely disturbing.
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