There is an article in the Daily Mail today reporting that a member of the public, a householder, who witnessed some thuggish behaviour from a group of youths aged around 17 and started taking photos of them Police Community Support Officer turn up and tell him that taking pictures of youths was illegal and could lead to a charge of assault.
The Office is so wrong, it beggars belief. Whilst I can perhaps understand the general public operating under the misapprehension that a photographer does not have the right to take your photo or a photo of your children in public, you expect a Police Office (even a CSO) to have a reasonable grasp of such a basic law.
Fortunately, many of the magazines and photography organisations are publishing guidelines to members to explain the rights.
Wonder how many times I am "assaulted" by speed cameras and street CCTV a day.
