Cops Admit FIT Watch works

- | 24.08.2008 11:23 | Other Press | Policing | Repression

An article on The Register about amateur photographers getting nicked/harassed by the cops for taking photos includes, effectively, an admission that FIT Watch is worrying the cops

The relevant paras in the article are fully on the cops side (somewhat unusually and shamefully for a publication which is usually better than this on civil liberties issues - but see the comments section for numerous responses) and reads like this:

"Of course, there can be legitimate reasons for opposing the use of cameras. In talking to El Reg about the law on photography, several Police Forces made the fair comment that there were individuals who had learnt how to use cameras at demonstrations as a means to wind individual officers up.

Undoubtedly, this happens – although as with any such abuse, perhaps it should be punished appropriately when it does, rather than used as a reason for clamping down more widely. Part of the problem, as far as authority is concerned, is the sheer scale of public photography."

Still, "several Police Forces" are apparently willing to admit that they're finding FITwatch (it must be FITwatch they're referring to) a problem.

The full article is at

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/23/camera_analysis/

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Anyone Fitwatching at the Carnival then?

24.08.2008 13:49

After the hilarious FIT team's harrassment of local Asian youth at the recent Mela festival in Gunnersbury, I wonder if anyone will be Fitwatching at this weekend's Carnival. I'm sure the little Mela session was good practice for Europe's biggest street event.

At Mela, the FIT team just followed sheeplike some groups of local asian teenagers who were just trying to have a good time. There was some boisterous behaviour from some groups of teens in the dance tents which was no better or worse than any other group of people together having a laugh anywhere else in London on that day. These days though it seems that its not allowed any more to congregate with your mates at a Festival and have fun. Each outbreak of fun and games in the tents and around the site caused the police and FIT to freak out and snap away. Not only this but the security team employed on the day were running all over the site on the word of the cops to get involved in any outbreak of non-sedate boring behaviour.
One group of fun-loving teens did get fed up and do a slow (but not particularly scary) walk through the crowd of cops and FIT but this only resulted in all of them being stopped and searched. Of course this would be quite hilarious except that no-one there seemed to think it was wrong that police photographers follow asian teenagers from one end of the festival to the other and back again hassling them. Times we live in I'm afraid.

Shan

I agree

24.08.2008 13:52

Me getting harassed on the Novartis march

We got quite a few issues...

PC Bacon

A Call To Evidence Gathering Arms

25.08.2008 18:10

Telling us what the abusers fear the most...

Info

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/407440.html

Carnival Against Vivisection
Homepage: http://smashsequani.wordpress.com

I disagree

26.08.2008 21:50

Fitwatch??? Where the hell were you at SHAC national Peterborough?? It was boring as hell. For christs sake get a grip/a life.......get something!!!!!

bored

to shan (and others)

27.08.2008 12:04

Fitwatch is needed at so many places - the resources that have been made available for police FIT teams is breathtaking, and could never be matched by a group of part time activists, no matter how determined and commited they are.

We need a response that is everywhere, and done by everybody. Next time, take a camera, note down their numbers. Send any info you have to fitwatch. At the very least, we can build up some intelligence on their operations!

As a general thing, fitwatch welcomes any info / experiences you have of FIt team ops. Mail us at defycops(at)yahoo.co.uk or leave an anonymous comment on the blog.

fighting fit
mail e-mail: defycops(at)yahoo.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com