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Watching police misbehave

FITwatcher | 19.04.2009 19:46 | G20 London Summit | Repression | Social Struggles

Who watches the watchers? Why not you?!

Let’s start with a quotation:

"There's only one motive for a police officer disguising his identity and that's because he thinks he's going to be doing something reprehensible." – Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said his party was given a guarantee by senior officers after clashes with climate change protesters at Kingsnorth power station in Kent - where there were also complaints of police disguising their identity - that there would be no repeat of such tactics at the G20 protests.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/apr/19/ipcc-police-g20-protests

The buck stops with us. The solution is in our hands. It is called FITwatching. So how do you FITwatch? I will list a few of my own ideas and hope that others will add ideas of their own. We need a plan and this seems like as good a way as any to thrash one out.

Preparing to FITwatch

It’s a good idea to work in pairs. Lets call it a Buddy system. That way you will have support if you run into trouble. You should attempt to keep in each others sight if there is any risk of interacting with the police. You will need a digital camera or cameraphone. It needn’t be expensive. I have seen plenty of suitable new equipment on sale for under £30. Ideally it should have a removable memory card. It should be capable of capturing video and sound. You should consider carrying a spare memory card and batteries. If you use a cameraphone it may be worth uploading some of the photos as you take them. This prevents them being taken from you should someone fancy attempting to pervert the course of justice! You should think about how you will preserve your evidence as if the police plan to behave reprehensibly this may include an attempt to destroy your evidence. Finally, test your equipment. Do a dry run. Make sure you understand how to change batteries, switch from pictures to video, upload and copy photos etc. It is not a good idea to be in the middle of a confrontation wishing you had read the instructions!
It’s worth taking a note book with you along with 2 working pens. Use it to make a note of times, locations, events, identities, witnesses, contact details ect. Make sure that watches, internal camera clocks, are set to the correct time and make a note of when you do this in your notebook before you set off.

What to watch out for.

First of all you are looking for police who cannot easily be identified. This process should start as the police arrive. If you photograph who arrives with who this will aid identification later by the Press/IPCC, should it be necessary. These ‘group’ shots can be taken from 20 metres, or more, from the group. You should attempt to get a couple of ‘face’ shots on any individual police who do not display identification. It might be worth asking politely who they are. One of you could do this whilst your buddy discreetly films the question and answer.
If there is trouble then you should aim to capture video. It’s a good idea to keep the camera running and pointing at the police. If enough cameras are running any misbehaviour will be caught. You don’t need to be, and ideally you should not be, in the front line. Ideally try and find a vantage point and film from there. Always keep in sight of your Buddy.

What to do after the event.

As soon as possible after the event copy your memory card and put the copy somewhere safe. You could mail it to someone you trust. You could email it to yourself. It may be worth setting up a webmail account for this purpose. Ideally email a copy to Fitwatch:  defycops@yahoo.co.uk
Have a look at their website  http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com/
Include a note telling them what they are looking at and include times, locations and any other details you feel may help. You will find your written notes useful when doing this. It’s a good idea to get advice before putting pictures/video into the public domain. You could post any questions on indymedia if you can’t find the answer elsewhere. Bear in mind that Fitwatch are an autonomous group of unpaid volunteers who are insanely busy. Do not trouble them with questions that could be answered elsewhere.

I have a feeling that if we all do this we will experience a rapid improvement in police behaviour. After all, no one wants a criminal record!

All constructive comments welcome.

FITwatcher

Comments

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Possibly use Qik to live stream video

19.04.2009 20:55

Hi, good post.

Qik is a mobile utility that enables anyone to share live video from their mobile phones and so get captured video away from the hands of The Watched:

 http://qik.com/

Not used it yet myself for strategic deployment - but it might be a handy tool to be used on manoeuvres to get vital evidence away from The Filth, even if the recording device is seized. Not sure of copyright of uploaded materials blah blah.

Perhaps do some tests with this before the next kick-off.

To the fascist pig dogs reading this: we're now watching you, watching us, watching you...

CopWatcher


Three Person Buddy System

19.04.2009 21:36

You suggest two people as buddies.

It might be better to have three. One to talk, one to film and one to observe. This is the same technique that UK Police have, in the past, been trained to utilise. The third person should have a mobile with some external "safe" number available in case of some kind of disturbance.

Texting to some external, "safe number" gives a timestamped message that can be used for obtaining CCTV footage by knowing when police bad behaviour takes place. Then claim CCTV footage under the Data Protection Act and specifing five minutes either side of the incident the victim being the one to make the request. Publicising such DPA requests and FOI requests asking for the times when CCTV were unavailable - which anyone can make - a picture builds up of who and where the officers were.

These are the same techniques FIT employ.

Old Bill Watcher


disagree with quote

19.04.2009 22:18

>> "There's only one motive for a police officer disguising his identity and that's because he thinks he's going to be doing something reprehensible." – Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman,

I'd disagree with Chris Huhne of this. Anarchists cover their faces/identity aswell. Often, this isn't because they believe they are doing something reprehensible. It can just be because they don't want to be identified and targeted. I'd argue that a police officer could be doing the same.

Its human nature not to want to be identified born through evolution. Our gut instinct to to remain anonymous.

spec savers


Deleting pics

20.04.2009 06:09

If the police make you delete pics from your SD memory card don't take any more pics on that card. Use another card instead.You can then restore the deleted pics using Softperfect file recovery which is free.

 http://www.softperfect.com/products/filerecovery/

Ain't technology wonderful!

Doug.


ID 4 riot squad

20.04.2009 08:03

"We have one specific request, which may seem a minor request but we believe it is an essential foundation for policing in which the public can have confidence. It is vital that police officers in riot gear have their identification on their fronts and back at all times in extra large font so it is clearly visible. There is currently no legal requirement for police officers to display their identification. This needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency."

from ... THE POLICING OF THE CLIMATE CAMP IN THE CITY ON 1 APRIL 2009
A REPORT BY THE CLIMATE CAMP LEGAL TEAM
18 APRIL 2009

 http://climatecamp.org.uk/themes/ccamptheme/files/report.pdf

mark


if you see...

20.04.2009 08:48

unidentifiable cops, delegate one of your team to do the following while others film the exchange/s If you can get others around you filming or as witnesses your case will be stronger.
If possible, approach the unidentified cop and politely ask who they are. If they refuse to comply ask insisted the the nearest identifiable cop who their unidentified colleague is. If you get no response, record any response or lack of one along with the number of the cop who you just spoke to, and ask to speak to the senior officer in charge of the operation, and relay your request to him/her, You may have to go through the sergeant in charge of the cops you are dealing with. Again, record all exchanges with any and all cops you speak to regarding your concerns, which are that there are unidentifiable people there who may be masquerading as police officers. If you were asked/told by an unidentified person to get back or whatever, why should you comply?

When I have used this approach on a couple of fluffy demos, the first identifiable cop gets embarrassed. Then with insistence on my part, the sergeant becomes involved, who then goes up the chain of command to the senior officer, who then got the no-numbers cop to identify himself to me.
If I had had a camera with me, I would have used the evidence to make a written complaint to the Chief Constable, thus ensuring any subsequent action or lack of it has gone right to the top, even if delgated to a less senior officer to deal with.

Try the same if you find yourself in a pen/kettle. Tell a cop you wish to leave, record any response, and let them know they are infringing the Human Rights Act by detaining you. Choose another cop next to the first and repeat the process, making sure they know you are taking numbers etc. (2 cops should be enough) Out on a limb with the threat of the Human Rights Act they will get their Sergeant, then senior officer to talk to you whom you can then get on record as to their detaining you unlawfully. Plod never know the law, and if you seem to know more than them they will usually refer up the chain of command.

STAY POLITE at all times as all this evidence may be used in court.

Make sure you keep your cool throughout, being polite but firm. You are standing up for all of our Human Rights.

Remember the cops are super sensitive right now, so use this short time while there is media interest to let them they know they are being watched. As Fitwatch have already proved, they don't like being watched any more that we do, but they ARE agents of the state who should be fully accountable for their actions, in a court of law if necessary,

Roll 'em!

observer


micro SD

20.04.2009 08:53

micro SD cards can fit in any SD card compatible device (cameras) with an adapter, and because of their size, their easy to hide, even on your person. you wouldn't find a micro SD card in a frisk. so long as they don't put you in a safety suit at the cells, i reckon you'd have no trouble keeping it hidden on your person, through an arrest, until your released. thats not been tested though.
i don't think theirs any proper metal in them either, so i doubt it would show up on a metal detector.
also make sure if it is kicking off you only take photos of the police, either without any activists, or with masked up or activists with hidden faces. should your footage/photos get confiscated, you don't want it used in evidence against your comrades.
just being somewhere can be a criminal offense now.

sue denim


First class advice from Doug.

20.04.2009 09:56

Hi

Yes, Doug above makes a good point: if Plod demands that you delete your pics, then by all means do so but refrain from taking any further fotos - your pictures will remain intact but are merely marked for overwriting. Those incriminating snaps can then be recovered later with the tool that Doug suggests or this little number:

 http://www.pcinspector.de/Sites/file_recovery/info.htm?language=1

And there's another one here:

 http://www.filetransit.com/view.php?id=67707

There are undoubtedly loads more apps - very probably some GPL tools (open source) too.

Even if the Woodentop orders you to delete your fotos and then forces you to snap a few in a flimsy attempt to try to overwrite the pictures you have taken (of him smashing, smashing, smashing in the head of an innocent by-stander) then by using the above tools you might still recover some valuable data.

Just remember that you are on the side of The Way, The Truth and and The Light, and Buddha will assist you in your quest for justice ;o)

Don't worry about a thing, 'cos every little thing gonna be alright...


Cameras eh?

20.04.2009 13:00

It won't be long before demos are just full of fucking photographers.

Anarcho


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First the Bosses. Then the Cops. Then the Journos (& wannabes). Then the Trots

20.04.2009 15:05

seems like that's all the g20 was - nothing but scummy journos and wannabes.

@nother


To recover files

20.04.2009 17:55

if my memory card gets corupted or deleted i use  http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk /  http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

its command line but it does to job, and is available for almost any os

Yasun
- Homepage: http://www.afed.org.uk/


this is an excellent, valuable thread.

20.04.2009 19:44

Thank you for your efforts and info and sensible attitudes.

jon t


Very clever...

21.04.2009 08:32

Hi

Anarcho's comment above is probably just a plant by PsyOps to discourage people from taking cameras with them on demos - one camera per protestor, I say!

Let a thousand thousand citizen journalists bloom and to hell with the naysayers.

Sweet as a nut!

Don't worry about a thing, 'cos every little thing gonna be alright...


some more thoughts

21.04.2009 16:35

To anyone who has read or contributed to this thread, I thank you. To anyone who plans to go out and practice fitwatching on mayday, I salute you.

I would like to spend a few moments sharing my vision of fitwatch with you. I do not see fitwatch as an organisation. I see it more as a series of tactics which, if implemented by an autonomous group of individuals, will make them more effective. Having no leaders, or infrastructure, makes it difficult to disrupt or infiltrate. It is my belief that if each fitwatcher follows the guidelines (we have no rules) or suggestions set out in this thread we will achieve measurable results. We should think of ourselves as the worlds first open source security service! We exist to help protect the public and our freedoms from a government and administration that have shown, by their deeds, that they don’t care.

The police appear to be reacting already. Time for another quote! This is apparently the view of a police officer as reported by the BBC:

“We are told in training that we must act forcefully yet if we are not supported when we do this I would be reluctant to carry out these actions in real life situations. I'd think twice and probably wouldn't do it. If I were currently on the list of trained officers or on the Territorial Support Group I would remove myself immediately because this officer has received no support at all so far and it appears that he's being hung out to dry.”

The quote by a police officer refers to “support”. If he is acting lawfully, then why does he need “support”? Is he in fact asking for his bosses to help him pervert the course of justice? If they hep him will they be guilty of an offence as well?

The BBC article may be removed but can be currently found here:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/8006579.stm

On mayday I expect to see a lot of cameras. I do not doubt that I will also see a lot more protesters! Lets say 5% of protesters decide to become fitwatchers for the day. That means in a crowd of 1000 people there could be 50 fitwatchers. They will be lost in the crowd with other camera users. This will help ensure they don’t get picked on. They may work alone, in loose pairs or other combinations. They will have thought about how they are going to film, what they are going to film and what they are going to do with the film once the event is over. This will represent (and from the comments of the officer in the quoted article does represent) a serious threat to any police officer who considers using unlawful violence. It is possible that as a result individual officers will decide to act within the law and ignore unlawful orders. I sincerely hope that we never have cause to use the footage we collect for if we do this will mean that another person has suffered injury, or worse, at the hands of those with a sworn duty to protect us. Anyone betraying that sworn duty deserves to be hunted down, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and have their special powers revoked.
I wish everyone a safe mayday.

FITwatcher


wish list

21.04.2009 19:21

I've taken larger memory cards than the micro ones through metal detectors regularly, at a job that scanned it's employees for CD's or memory devices. You can store any file on the memory card, not video and images. There is metal in it though. It is good idea to take a spare card to a demo. You can buy a media player that'll backup any card on the move. You can keep a camera running hidden in a pocket with a hole for the lens Some guy is getting a camera inserted into his fake eye, he'd be a great FITwatcher. Wireless webcams could be streaming. You can even buy cheap remote control aircraft with built in cameras. Helmet cams are great for bike actions.


Talking about bike actions, I wish I could do this. I can't see any policeman being able to catch Danny MacAskill - youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

FTA


Effective use of Qik

22.04.2009 14:21

If you happen to use the

 http://qik.com/

Website then consider having someone sitting somewhere (it matters not in this internet enabled world) to actually watch for your videos coming up on Qik. Then posting them on to other sites. This is purely a matter of being able to propagate the images to, say, facebook or myspace. If a lot of people were to use qik it might suffer bandwidth clogging thus delaying propagation.

qik would get something out of this as they would become a more popular site (so preventing them from receiving activist stream would be an infringement of their commercial rights) and it would mean that images of kettling could be streamed to anybody who wants to see the unreasonable actions on multiple platforms.

Be Quick


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