Policeman say Not shoot

[jinky]

I muist admit I have not experiencd any problems anywhere in the last 6 months or so after getting a spate of incidents in various settings where I was breaking no law / byelaw or anything else by shooting. Sad to hear someone being stopped again in such innocent circumstances.

[karenoliver]

Its not the police that stop me. Its usually security guards or council workers.

Karen

[Cathus]

How many times have you been stopped Karen?

[Jediboy]

Nice to see a common sense approach there Cathus. I don't do the 'conspiracy theory' thing but I accept the police/security services have an important job to do.
I also have never had a problem whilst out with my camera and hopefully never will. It's a hobby that people should be able to enjoy, and for the most part do.

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by Cathus

How many times have you been stopped Karen?

Lots of times, too many to mention really. Mostly at events in the town around Christmas, or generally doing street shots. A few times on top of the multi-story car park while I was getting aerial views but I know that is probably private not public space. I used to get stopped a lot for photographing the construction of our new shopping centre as well. I find that security guards or council workers are less tolerant of photography than the police.

Karen

[Cathus]

Blimey Karen,

you sound like a an officials-magnet - you don't live by GCHQ by any chance , out of those times how many were by the police & what were the outcomes?

[karenoliver]

Not many by the police, just security guards. I don't think its me that draws the attention as such, my husband is dark skinned and looks middle eastern even though he is a Brit. He has camera also so I wonder sometimes because they always cite the terrorism act etc.. One security guard at the chemical works took our registration number and the others just ranted about not being able to photograph without permission but walked off after we left the area. The only real run ins with the police was at an abandoned psychiatric hospital but they just said that the place was dangerous and they couldnt take it any further because trespass isnt a criminal offence. The most scary one was at Shell oil refinery where we were doing some night photography on what we thought was a public road. Blimey, about 6 police cars screeched to a halt followed by 3 security vehicles. Turns out it was a private road and was mistaken for a public road all the time. They kept us there for about 30mins and did checks on us to make sure we had no previous convictions for anything before letting us go. Security is very high there and photography is prohibited. We didn't see all the signs where we were.
Karen

[Stormsong]

I can imagine the security being tight at an oil refinery, and fully understand the reasons for not photographing such places. However, sending out 6 patrol cars was probably a bit excessive. Perhaps a way to declare it a private road is to put boom gates at either end with security/guards at the gates that don't allow people in, instead of using unnecessary resources to stop people who have 'strayed' on to the private road?

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by Stormsong

I can imagine the security being tight at an oil refinery, and fully understand the reasons for not photographing such places. However, sending out 6 patrol cars was probably a bit excessive. Perhaps a way to declare it a private road is to put boom gates at either end with security/guards at the gates that don't allow people in, instead of using unnecessary resources to stop people who have 'strayed' on to the private road?

The gate idea is a good one. Security is tight there and the problem is because it is so photogenic at night that its a magnet for photographers so I suppose its frustrating for them and the photographer.

Karen

[Mr Yarrow]

Originally Posted by Cathus

It's not usual to get stopped by the police & told to delete your photos,

You should never be stopped and asked to delete them, as they have no right to request you do it, and if anyone attempts to delete your images they may commit an offence (however I cant name it at the mo). This goes for pics you might have taken on private property or even sites protected by the revised provention of terrorism act.

As far as I am aware the only way for images to be deleted is via a court order.

Rgds