Photographers remain in dark over terror stops

[CSBC]

AP News

[Fire_Monkey]

£450??

[poldie]

£450??

select * from pigbase where Description like '%photo%'

Who do I invoice?

[GaryNikon]

select * from pigbase where Description like '%photo%'

Who do I invoice?

That's what I was thinking!!
For the non-programming people the above 'Select' statement is just about as much as you'd need to do to extract the data from the database. Looks like the MET don't want to release the information IMO.

[MartyG]

Hmm - I read the article slightly differently - first paragraph of the AP article that states:

The public will never know how many photographers have been stopped by the Metropolitan Police under anti-terrorism laws because, admits the force, it does not record the information on a computer database

And under that that the the "MPS would therefore have to conduct a manual search of the free text wording of every individual stop and search form" - which I read to mean the paper form, not a text field on a database.

So the question should be why aren't they properly recording the data - I'll bet they don't really want it scrutinised too closely.

[RonM]

Again I think a bit of misinformation, in Scotland the costs quoted are the maximum charge that can be levied for provision of the data, and I think this is the case here, but, with the twist that because the cost to the Met will be more than they are permitted to charge, they are making out that because the cost is more than £450 they are not obliged to do anything.
I think it's now time to get the Data Commissioner involved, if the English version is the same or similar to Mr Dunnion (Scotland) then he has the power to force the MET to provide the information, including prosecution for failure to carry out legal instructions, As I've pointed out previously, Dunnion was within hours of prosecuting the then Scottish Minister, Cathie Jamieson for failure to release data.

[Hwntws]

I can't think why, but I don't believe the MET.
Regards
Ray

[AndyTake2]

I'll bet if a single photographer was found with a block of semtex on them the MET would spread it all over the news, and say that their Officers have worked tirelessly over the last few months, stopping a total of XX number of photographers under section 44, and their hard work has finally paid off.

edit....
and as for the inability to search the papers, has no-one ever heard of scanning and OCR?
You can bet your last memory card that this will happen anyway just to save space on archiving.
I've no problems with the Police at all - My best mate is in the force and I know he's pissed off with the BS they have to put up with, but like him (and his colleagues) we all judge them by the actions of the upper echelons who have zero idea of the real world.