Why the ban on photographing police officers matters to ordinary people

Think about events at which you might see one or more police officers: football, cricket, or rugby matches; county fairs; Notting Hill Carnival; Trooping the Colour; protests.

I mention the last in particular because they tend to turn up at protests in such numbers that anyone taking a photo of the protest cannot help but take a photo of a police officer, as Kate Belgrave at Liberal Conspiracy explains.

point is, the police will be stopping people taking photos at political events, and of a ‘political’ nature, whatever that might mean. …

The only conclusion you can draw is that this law is at least partly about eradicating evidence of political activity and protest from the public view.

And also we will lack evidence of unlawful actions committed by the police.

Do read this article by David Mery.

It’s important to note that technically this isn’t a ban. It’s rather more insidious, because it is legislation that has a chilling effect – the uncertainty about whether one will be arrested for taking a photograph is enough to prevent people from doing so.  And of course terrorists aren’t going to be bothered by the legislation – like so much other legislation, it only disadvantages, deters, and harms, the law-abiding.

Update

Also see this article by Chris Dillow and this by Septicisle.

Update 2

They insist on taking pictures of us.