Big Brother Britain: Andrew White questioned over taking photo's.(Useless fucking PCSO's again)

Brighton photographer stopped for taking photo's of  festive lights.
Andrew White, 33, from Kemp Town, Brighton, was taking snaps of the decorations in Burgess Hill town centre when two Police Community Support Officers started following him as he walked to work.

The two female PCSOs then stopped him and asked why he had been taking pictures and if he was a professional photographer.

Now, he has committed no crime, you need no permission to take photo's in a public place and they have no right to interrogate innocent citizens(see sidebar for a guide on your rights on taking photo's in public).

When he asked why they wanted to know, the PCSOs told him it was to do with counter-terrorism legislation and demanded his personal details, including his name and address.

Mr White said: “I had nothing to hide so I just provided the details.

“Now I’m concerned about where those details are going to end up.

“I only took one or two photos but even if I had taken more, who are they to say what is too many? I don’t think taking too many photos in the street warrants being considered some kind of terrorist threat, which is what they were suggesting.

“I think the money spent on getting PCSOs to waste my time and harass me in the street could be better spent elsewhere.”

Mr White said the two women PCSOs were polite but they insisted that they had to take his details because they had stopped him.

You what? What the fucking fuckity fuck is that sort of excuse? They did not have to stop him as he did fuck all wrong, therefore they should not take his details. PCSO's as much use as tits on a bull.

A Sussex Police spokesman said the officers spoke to Mr White because they were concerned he was taking too many photographs in a busy shopping area.

He said: “They were acting in good faith, balancing individual liberty against the need to ensure public safety.”

Utter bollocks in a word. There is no limit on photo's that someone can take in a public place, no law stopping anyone from snapping away to their hearts content. As for the utter arsewater spouted about liberty and public safety, if the window licking PCSO's were that concerned about it, they would have left the man alone to go about his lawful business taking photo's.

Under the 2002 Police Reform Act PCSOs have the power to demand the name and address of a person suspected of committing a criminal offence or for antisocial behaviour.

However, the growing use of this power to stop photographers is being critised.

The Home Office has issued numerous statements reaffirming the public’s right to take photographs. The Met issued its own guidelines, might I suggest that the PCSO's when they have progressed from ABC books for toddlers should ask a real police officer to read with them and explain all the big words.

One point that I shall mention is that police powers(this also applies to window licking PCSO's) are strictly regulated by law and once an image has been recorded, the police have no power to delete or confiscate it without a court order.

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