Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')
As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held at the time of a request, by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.
You asked:
- “Do you have a policy of barring members of the public taking photos and or videos within your "publically accessable reception areas in your stations"?
- If you do ,what are your legal powers for doing this?
- If you do, and you remove any individual or individuals by force for taking photos and or videos,who refuse to stop the said actions, what are your legal powers for doing this?”
In Response:
1. Northumbria Police do not have a formal policy. While recording in public such as in the street is not an offence, our front offices are not a public place. Individuals do not have permission to film in these areas. We cannot prevent filming in public spaces, but front offices, like the rest of a police building, are not public spaces. They are private spaces which we give the public a general permission to enter during certain hours and subject to rules we are entitled to impose. One of these rules is that filming will not take place unless it is pre-planned and permission has been sought and granted in advance.
Any person who attempts to film in the front office will be asked to stop and if they refuse then they will be asked to leave. At that point that person has no right to be on police premises, is a trespasser and should be dealt with as such.
2 & 3. Not applicable.
