Photographing thugs 'is assault', police tell householder snapping proof of anti-soci

[Snowden]

Photographing thugs 'is assault', police tell householder snapping proof of anti-social behaviour


A householder who took photographs of hooded teenagers as evidence of their anti-social behaviour says he was told he was breaking the law after they called the police.

David Green, 64, and his neighbours had been plagued by the youths from a nearby comprehensive school for months, and was advised by their headmaster to identify them so action could be taken.

One of Mr Green's pictures shows two hooded teenagers, one making an obscene gesture towards the camera

But when Mr Green left his £1million London flat to take photographs of the gang, who were aged around 17, he said one threatened to kill him while another called the police on his mobile.

And he claimed that a Police Community Support Officer sent to the scene promptly issued a warning that taking pictures of youths without permission was illegal, and could lead to a charge of assault.

Concern: David Green

Last night Mr Green, a television cameraman, said he was appalled that the legal system's first priority seemed not to be stopping frightening anti-social behaviour by aggressive youths, but protecting them from being photographed by the concerned public.

Mr Green, a father-of-two, lives with his programme-maker wife Judy in a penthouse flat close to Waterloo station.

He said: '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.

'In South London we all know how many stabbings there have been, and I think the police should be busy catching the real bad people.'


Mr Green said he handed his pictures to a deputy headmaster at the nearby Nautical School, and was promised the matter would be investigated.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the force had no record of the incident.

Last week, the Daily Mail reported that a father was told by a play equipment supervisor he was not allowed to take pictures of his own children on a slide.


Photographing thugs 'is assault', police tell householder snapping proof of anti-social behaviour | Mail Online

[Anth]

Yet the police have often said "we cant do anything unless you prove they are breaking the law".

And you wonder why people are losing faith in the British police and legal system

[jjvman]

Only the British?, Anth. It seems here in the states, the law exists to protect the criminals. Criminals can obtain guns and kill people, but if you fire back at them, you can be arrested for carrying and discharging a weapon. Maybe we need to get rid of courts and lawyers. It would eliminate the need for as many jails. Dead criminals cannot escape, be pardoned early while their victims do not get a release from their suffering, cost taxpayers money for housing and feeding, etc. Everyone can be armed. If you are attacked and kill the attacker, there is no cost to society and if you get killed, it should be legal to have a family member hunt down and eliminate the culprit. Also, if citizens were armed and trained in weapons use, it would increase the ready militia concept.

[bhdean]

Originally Posted by jjvman

and if you get killed, it should be legal to have a family member hunt down and eliminate the culprit.

I like this part of your revised legal system.

[jjvman]

I heard that in China, if you commit a crime punishable by execution, it is done by firing squad and the deceased's family gets charged for the bullet. (it probably isn't very much money, they probably use the cheap ammo imported from China (oops, my bad, they are China.)

[Anth]

Originally Posted by bhdean

I like this part of your revised legal system.

It used to be part of the British legal system, back in Viking/Saxon times.

[bhdean]

I wonder why they did away with it. It seems like it would help deter crime in the U.S. as well.