Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are regulatory (a) provisions and (b) other measures in place on public filming of police officers during the performance of their duties which is intended to harass or intimidate those officers.

Policing by its very nature can be a demanding job. The wellbeing of our police is a priority for this Government and it is vital that we protect our officers from any form of harassment, abuse or assault as they work bravely to protect our communities. We will continue to work closely with policing partners and help Chief Constables in their duty to support their workforce effectively.

There are no provisions in place which prohibit an individual from taking photographs or filming in public places. This extends to the filming of police officers and buildings unless the behaviour of the person filming represents a genuine security risk or risk to the personal information of staff to be misused.

Whilst individuals are not prohibited from filming in public places, behaviour which intentionally causes harassment, alarm or distress is prohibited under the Public Order Act 1986. The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 also makes it a criminal offence to pursue a course of conduct amounting to harassment. Whether these offences apply to individual cases will depend on the circumstances.

The NPCC have released national guidance on persons recording police in public spaces. This also sets out the legislation that does apply when the officers suspect terrorism: NPCC Guidance.

The College of Policing have also published guidance as part of their Media Relations APP and the Public Order APP.