Police stop church photographer
Updated on 09 December 2009
A police force defends the actions of officers in the latest controversy over a photographer being stopped and searched under anti-terror powers. More4 News reports.
A prominent architectural photographer, Grant Smith, was filming a church in the City of London when nearby bank security guards became suspicious and called the police.
Seven officers in three cars and a riot van then searched his belongings. City of London Police said: "When questioned by officers, the man declined to give any explanation.
"He was therefore informed that, in light of the concerns of security staff, and in the absence of an explanation, he would be searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000... Once this explanation was received, there was no further action".
It is part of a trend of police stopping, and in some cases, arresting photographers both professional and amateur.
In April two Austrian tourists deleted their holiday snaps after police stopped then in Walthamstow.
During the summer amateur photographer Alex Turner was stopped while snapping a fish and chip shop and then arrested for taking pictures of the officers.
In August, a trainspotter refused to delete pictures of carriages he had taken and last month two photographers, including one from the BBC, were stopped - BBC photographer Jeff Overs was stopped and searched by St Paul's Cathedral and amateur photographer Andrew White was stopped snapping Christmas lights in Brighton.
