06 Jan 2009
Photographer poses an "unacceptable security risk"
Olivier Laurent
Reuben Powell is an unlikely terrorist, writes The Independent today. This artist has been photographing and drawing life around Elephant & Castle for 25 years. But, last week he was arrested and detained for five hours because his work posed an unacceptable security risk. He was handcuffed and had his genetic material stored permanently on the DNA database. Read more at The Independent.
For anyone thinking that the New Year would bring sense to police forces in their attitude towards photographers, Powell's case is a stark reminder that photography in public places continues to be under threat, as the numerous cases in December 2008 have shown (see here, here and here).
Comments
Perhaps gangs of youths should ditch their guns and knives and take to shooting each other with telephoto lenses or throwing compact flash cards at each other; then the police would be able to detain them indefinitely without charge. It would cut back on Legal Aid and duty solicitors. I can see it now, the East End Canonites vs the Surrey Hassies; assault with a deadly lens et al...
Things will not change until the police and other law enforcement agencies become demand led, as opposed to target led. Just another easy statistic and a tick in the box for some copper hungry for his next promotion or performance related pay rise. Still, once the photographer became a criminal he should have been entitled to his human rights and at least free legal advice. You have to be a criminal to receive these benefits.
It really does make a laughing stock of the Police, the legal system and the rights of the law abiding individual.
Shame on the Met. Whatever next...
Mr C Hough
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