Photographing a traffic warden

Stroma

It sounds as if they do, which is not surprising !

PDC

As said you are quite within your rights to photograph or record him in a public place.

To be fair though if you've been issued the ticket and you have grounds to appeal then you would have to do that through the normal channels rather than through the officer - not that this excuses him making up laws.

Ailega

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies.

This is the main reason why I asked here, most other forums interpret differently whether this is right or wrong as here.

The traffic warden was taking photos of my car (mentioned above) as I arrived which is why I thought I was able to use the technology as well - had I been able to get my phone into video mode in time I would have videoed and answered the consequences if necessary, just to show the contempt with which I was being treated.

I will of course appeal the ticket which has become secondary in this case.

pogofish

Also be aware that even in legit parking enforcement, photos are right at the bottom of the evidential food chain and will only be considered after all other evidence gathered by the patroller has been examined and found up to scratch - normally they are only used to clarify minor technical issues.

matttye

bazster wrote: »

Absolute nonsense.

It is legal to photograph anyone in a public place: police officers, CEO's, council officers, children, you, me, anyone.

Your actions would need to be persistent and/or aggressive to constitute harassment. Just taking a photo of someone, regardless of whether they asked you not to, is not harassment!

Here's what the Met came up with when finally forced to admit that they did NOT have a blanket right to stop photographers snapping them in the street: http://content.met.police.uk/Site/photographyadvice

"Members of the public and the media do not need a permit to film or photograph in public places and police have no power to stop them filming or photographing incidents or police personnel."

Stills or video, it's all OK.

Videoing someone in itself might not be an issue, but if you started to follow them around videoing them then you'd be on sketchy territory I think.

Stroma

matttye wrote: »

Videoing someone in itself might not be an issue, but if you started to follow them around videoing them then you'd be on sketchy territory I think.

I don't think so, as NoToMob does this with CEOs in London.

force_ten

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire

it is OK wor traffic wardens to film you but it is not OK for you to film them

Strange that

The_Slithy_Tove

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Either way using the term absolute nonsense is designed to wind someone up and cause trouble.

Except when it's true. Unfortunately the only correct part of your original statement was, "It's legal to take photos of virtually anything or anyone." The rest was incorrect in almost every way.

matttye

Stroma wrote: »

I don't think so, as NoToMob does this with CEOs in London.

Home Office circular 018/2012 talks about the new offences of Stalking (Section 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act) and gives the following as examples of stalking:

following a person
contacting, or attempting to contact, a person by any means
publishing any statement or other material (i) relating or purporting to relate to a person, or (ii) purporting to originate from a person
monitoring the use by a person of the internet, email or any other form of electronic communication
loitering in any place (whether public or private)
interfering with any property in the possession of a person
watching or spying on a person

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-change-to-the-protection-from-harassment-act-1997-introduction-of-two-new-specific-offences-of-stalking

Following CEOs around/waiting for them and filming them could be all of the behaviours I've listed in bold above..

The conduct still has to amount to harassment so it would have to be a course of conduct (two or more occasions). If the guy only films each CEO once then it's understandable why he could get away with it.. If not, I'm not sure why, maybe no one has made a complaint to the police about him?

Stroma

Yes very good of you to post that, but the reality is the police will not get involved in someone following a council CEO, I don't believe one NoToMob guys have ever been arrested! This Act is not meant to be interpreted for situations like this, you I believe are taking it out context