NEWS / SECTION 44: A WASTED OPPORTUNITY

Section 44: A wasted opportunity

01st February 2011

A year after the European Court of Human Rights found Britain’s stop-and-search powers to be illegal, and six months after the Home Office ordered a review of the controversial anti-terrorism laws, the proposals unveiled this week fall short of photographers’ expectation

A wasted opportunity. That was my reaction a few hours after Home Secretary Theresa May appeared in the House of Commons to announce her recommendations to make Britain’s anti-terrorism legislation fairer.

Of course, while a large majority of the media’s coverage centred around control orders, photographers - professionals and amateurs - were waiting for news of Section 44′s fate. The controversial stop-and-search powers allowed, until last year, police officers to stop and search anyone to verify whether they are terrorists or not.

But, rightly so, the European Court of Human Rights found that these powers infringed on the right for private life and created humiliation and embarrassment. While the previous government refused to scrap the unlawful powers, the Coalition, elected in May 2010, argued that there was a need to “bring back the freedom and civil liberties lost in the past decade.” To do so, the government intended to reform the unpopular anti-terrorism laws that have constantly been used against photographers.

On Wednesday, it finally announced what that reform would be [read our report here]. But, a close look at the Home Office’s recommendations is sure to disappoint photographers.

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/blog-post/1946693/section-44-wasted-opportunity#ixzz1Ci35UVCo

Posted by Oliver Laurent on British Journal of Photography