Photography and the police?

[Conor D]

I was down at a Lidl car park, which is right beside a big junction.. I was messing about with my new DSLR and had it sitting on a tripod beside my car. I was trying to do some light trails, alot of people passed no remarks and just drove on.. A few people sort of stopped, and wondered what I was at (Including a Police car).

They drove on, and I knew by the way they looked that they'd be back. A few minutes later they pulled into the car park, and pulled up beside my car. They basically just asked me what I was at, and that someone had reported me?

I guess I passed the attitude test, and just told them that I was finishing up here.. They asked about the camera, and I showed them some of the pictures. They then said there was nothing wrong with what I was doing, but some people wont like people taking their photograph/video.

Is it fairly common to get hasstle from the police?

[fastfreddy]

Yes, but as long as you're polite and understand your rights you'll be fine.

[JimNotJon]

As fastfreddy said. If your ok with them then they are generally ok with you. Makes me laugh though, I have been asked what I was doing one evening in Lincoln when I was out with my camera, they also used the infamous line "someone has reported you", yeah right.

[wendyg]

JimNotJon said:

, they also used the infamous line "someone has reported you", yeah right.

Hi JNJ, isn't that the usual way? If people are smashing windows and setting fire to lampposts, it's not the concern of the police, until someone reports it, and then they still do FA.

But is some oversensitive tit reports (and they are much more likely to!) they will be right on you because that ticks boxes.

[RobDickinson]

IMO thats utterly ridiculous, you were photographing a car in a car park, hardly worth the police's intrest.

It seems police harrasment is still their top priority in police state UK.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Have you seen the posters about a plot was foiled because someone was reported for looking at CCTV or had stuff hanging out of their bins?

Welcome to the UK.

[AndWhyNot]

wendyg said:

JimNotJon said:

, they also used the infamous line "someone has reported you", yeah right.

Hi JNJ, isn't that the usual way? If people are smashing windows and setting fire to lampposts, it's not the concern of the police, until someone reports it, and then they still do FA.

But is some oversensitive tit reports (and they are much more likely to!) they will be right on you because that ticks boxes.

???

Moving on, if it happens again- which it probably will at night- just keep a cool attitude and let them establish you're simply taking pictures, just as you seem to have done this time. I've had 8-10 encounters with the police due to where/ when/ what I've been shooting and they've all been resolved promptly and amicably. I think they've each been situations where the police happened to spot me in action rather than been called out to investigate.

[XG332]

this has got me thinking.
They asked to view your images, what would happen if i was using one of my film SLRs?
If they wanted to seize the roll, are they allowed to in this situation?

[Conor D]

XG332 said:

this has got me thinking.
They asked to view your images, what would happen if i was using one of my film SLRs?
If they wanted to seize the roll, are they allowed to in this situation?

They didn't ask to see them, I had just explained to them what I was doing and that I wasn't actually taking pictures or videos of peoples cars.. Just really the lights, and then showed them.

[10JH]

Wonder how many people reported the Google street view cars when they were out and about...

[Fletch79]

Ther is an ongoing thing at the moment with photgraphers and police harasment.

The police are using part of the terrorism act (i beleive) where they shouldn't be!
Have a look here .. these guys seem to have had a few of there forum users getting some serious hassle from the bobbies!!

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread...

[XG332]

Conor D said:

XG332 said:

this has got me thinking.
They asked to view your images, what would happen if i was using one of my film SLRs?
If they wanted to seize the roll, are they allowed to in this situation?

I meant In general, the norm is the police want to know who you are, what you are doing, and if they can view the images. Obv on film the latter is not possible.
Would they take the film and have it processed?

They didn't ask to see them, I had just explained to them what I was doing and that I wasn't actually taking pictures or videos of peoples cars.. Just really the lights, and then showed them.

[RobDickinson]

The police have no rights to stop you or touch your kit unless they have other evidence of wrongdoing.

Reasonless hastle from them is purely harrasment from The Man to promote a police state.

[JimNotJon]

wendyg said:

JimNotJon said:

, they also used the infamous line "someone has reported you", yeah right.

Hi JNJ, isn't that the usual way? If people are smashing windows and setting fire to lampposts, it's not the concern of the police, until someone reports it, and then they still do FA.

But is some oversensitive tit reports (and they are much more likely to!) they will be right on you because that ticks boxes.

Oh come on. You can't tell me that every time I or anyone else have been interupted by the bib for taking pictures that a genuinely concerned member of the public has called to report a someone with a camera taking photos, bit too much of a coinsidence really.

The point is, if you haven't done anything wrong don't worry about a visit from them and as said just be civilised, I have never been told to stop what I am doing so I don't personally have a problem
with them.

Edited by JimNotJon on Friday 23 April 10:42

[Muska]

http://photographernotaterrorist.org/bust-card/

Know your rights, print this out and keep it with you when out taking pictures.

[itsnotarace]

RobDickinson said:

The police have no rights to stop you or touch your kit unless they have other evidence of wrongdoing.

Sorry but that's not correct. For a start, the OP was in a private car park so technically trespassing (unless he had permission from Lidl) , and the tripod could be seen as causing an obstruction.

http://www.sirimo.co.uk/2009/05/14/uk-photographer...

[tog]

itsnotarace said:

RobDickinson said:

The police have no rights to stop you or touch your kit unless they have other evidence of wrongdoing.

Sorry but that's not correct. For a start, the OP was in a private car park so technically trespassing (unless he had permission from Lidl) , and the tripod could be seen as causing an obstruction.

http://www.sirimo.co.uk/2009/05/14/uk-photographer...

Well in that case the police have even fewer rights to move him on, unless Lidl had asked him to leave and he'd refused. Trespass is not a criminal offence.

[itsnotarace]

But they didn't ask him to move on, merely questioned what he was doing

[craigbunyan]

Mate of mine and I had a run in with the police last year while attempting to get some long-exposure shots of the stacks at Grangemouth refinery. We were parked on a quiet public street and had been there for around 10min before some guys from the plant turned up with the yellow vests and wakie talkies. They informed us that we were not allowed to take pictures of the chimneys (company policy) and that we had to stop. Furthermore, we could not leave until the police (whom they had called before they arrived) attended. They also claimed to have already passed on our registration details to the police.

10 min later the cops turned up and the refinery guys buggered off. The police were very apologetic - they explained that we weren't doing anything illegal but that they were obligated (not sure who by) to take our details and run a vehicle check. It was all very amicable but they still made us leave (though they admitted that they didn't have the power to actually stop us).

We headed home, pissed off and angry - they don't mind building the plant in the middle of a pretty bit of the fourth, but heaven forbid you should look at it or worse take pictures.

C.


Got this shot on the way home with the B+W 10stop screwed on.

[MonkeyHanger]

craigbunyan said:

Mate of mine and I had a run in with the police last year while attempting to get some long-exposure shots of the stacks at Grangemouth refinery. We were parked on a quiet public street and had been there for around 10min before some guys from the plant turned up with the yellow vests and wakie talkies. They informed us that we were not allowed to take pictures of the chimneys (company policy) and that we had to stop.

At that point you should have informed them that "Company Policy" starts & finishes at the Site Main Gate and told them to go away and bother someone else.