Police are misusing their terror powers to stop innocent photographers taking pictures of tourist attractions and even a chip shop, according to the government's anti-terror adviser

By Chris Irvine

Lord Carlile of Berriew has warned that officers, who are allowed to stop and search anyone in a designated "Section 44 authorisation zone" without giving a reason, need to be aware somebody taking a photograph is not a good enough reason to detain them.


"The police have to be very careful about stopping people who are taking what I would call leisure photographs, and indeed professional photographers," he said. "The fact that someone is taking photographs is not prima facie a good reason for stop and search and is very far from raising suspicion. It is a matter of concern and the police will know that they have to look at this very carefully."


Police 'misusing terror powers to stop tourists taking photos' - Telegraph


Infringement of civil liberties or a necessary measure in providing safety on British streets?


Anti-terror laws are routinely used in all manner of police operations. Slowly our civil liberties are being eroded by these abuses, we are becoming a nation in which the presumption of guilt takes precedence over the presumption of innocence? Labour seem inclined to keep momentum moving for ever greater restrictions to our civil liberties - I.D Cards, DNA Databases etc , are we so consumed by fear (of 'the other') that we no longer fight for the freedoms our politicians remove with these laws/schemes, yet claim they provide?

As an adjunct to this, here's a link to a post I made a while back on the same topic, which details what powers the police have under these circumstances, and equally what rights you, as a citizen, have - http://www.politic.co.uk/freedoms-pr...html#post78818.