Stop & search powers must not harass snappers

4.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 26th Jul 2010

Left to Right: City of London Police Commissioner Frank Armstrong, Head of Counterterrorism Detective Supt Chris Gearty, Sarah Ludford MEP and campaigner and photographer Grant Smith.

Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford and award-winning architectural photographer Grant Smith met Assistant Commissioner of the City of London police Frank Armstrong to discuss apparently heavy-handed use of anti-terrorist stop & search powers whereby Grant and colleagues have been harassed in the City.

After the meeting Sarah Ludford said:

"Of course police need to be on the lookout for terrorists on reconnaissance, and they are right to alert security guards to potential threats. But the new government has introduced welcome reform of Section 44 stop & search powers so that a person can only be searched if there is 'reasonable suspicion' of terrorist activity."

"When professional photographers and tourists get hassled, bullied and even searched for taking innocent pictures, something is going badly wrong, as it seems to have done in the City. Police time is wasted when they are called by poorly trained security guards who wrongly try to ban photos and of course meet objections."

"I am pleased that Assistant Commissioner Armstrong accepted that clearer instructions are needed so that problems are avoided, and equally pleased that Grant Smith accepted an invitation to help with training of security guards. Hopefully the problems will be ironed out so that public safety, civil liberties and professional livelihoods are all protected."

Note to editors

Grant Smith is involved with the campaigning organisation 'I'm a photographer, not a terrorist', see http://photographernotaterrorist.org/.

Sarah Ludford attended their Trafalgar Square demo earlier this year, see http://www.sarahludford.org.uk./news/001333/sarah_attends_im_a_photographer_not_a_terrorist_protest_at_trafalgar_square.html