London Indymedia

Video concerning SOCPA ban on Critical Mass sound systems.

Doug. | 03.04.2007 07:57 | Repression | Social Struggles | London

This is an attempt at clarification from the policeman who usually cautions sound system people at the start of London's monthly Critical Mass. He also tries to get their names and addresses but does not insist on it.


For several month's now CM riders have been warned by police not to play their sound systems within the SOCPA zone, on the basis of the following legislation.

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 2005 Chapter 15 - continued
137 Loudspeakers in designated area
(1) Subject to subsection (2), a loudspeaker shall not be operated, at any time or for any purpose, in a street in the designated area.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to the operation of a loudspeaker-

(a) in case of emergency,

(b) for police, fire and rescue authority or ambulance purposes,

(c) by the Environment Agency, a water undertaker or a sewerage undertaker in the exercise of any of its functions,

(d) by a local authority within its area,

(e) for communicating with persons on a vessel for the purpose of directing the movement of that or any other vessel,

(f) if the loudspeaker forms part of a public telephone system,

(g) if the loudspeaker is in or fixed to a vehicle and subsection (3) applies,

(h) otherwise than on a highway, by persons employed in connection with a transport undertaking used by the public, but only if the loudspeaker is operated solely for making announcements to passengers or prospective passengers or to other persons so employed,

(i) in accordance with a consent granted by a local authority under Schedule 2 to the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993 (c. 40).
(3) This subsection applies if the loudspeaker referred to in subsection (2)(g)-

(a) is operated solely for the entertainment of or for communicating with the driver or a passenger of the vehicle (or, if the loudspeaker is or forms part of the horn or similar warning instrument of the vehicle, solely for giving warning to other traffic), and

(b) is so operated as not to give reasonable cause for annoyance to persons in the vicinity.
(4) A person who operates or permits the operation of a loudspeaker in contravention of subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to-

(a) a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, together with

(b) a further fine not exceeding £50 for each day on which the offence continues after the conviction.
(5) In this section-

"local authority" means a London borough council (and, in subsection (2)(d), the Greater London Authority),

"street" means a street within the meaning of section 48(1) of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (c. 22) which is for the time being open to the public,

"the designated area" means the area specified in an order under section 138,

"vessel" includes a hovercraft within the meaning of the Hovercraft Act 1968 (c. 59).
(6) In Schedule 2 to the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993 (consent to the operation of loudspeakers in streets or roads), in paragraph 1(1), at the end add "or of section 137(1) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005".

------------------

 http://criticalmasslondon.org.uk

Doug.

Comments

Hide the following comment

indeed!

04.04.2007 19:22

well done doug - you exposed the hypocrisy of these police threats - the cop didn't have any cogent argument to your points - this could be evidence in any court trial (and more probably the subsequent appeal) i'd have thought.

rikki


Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

London Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

London IMC

Desktop

About | Contact
Mission Statement
Editorial Guidelines
Publish | Help

Search :