Arrest apology for Andy

A PHOTOGRAPHER arrested for obstruction and given a police caution while covering a traffic accident in September has had his caution rescinded and has secured an apology from Thames Valley Police.

Andy Handley, a staff photographer with MK News, was confronted by a traffic police sergeant while photographing at the scene of a crash. When Andy insisted he was within his rights, the officer told Andy he had to seize his equipment, as it was a crime scene. Andy was then arrested and handcuffed, and at Milton Keynes Central Police Station he was photographed, interviewed and cautioned, and had a DNA sample taken.

While the incident has been satisfactorily resolved after an intervention by the NUJ, it still shows that implementation of the police guidelines on dealing with the media, recently welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers, are being patchily applied on the ground. (See www.londonfreelance.org/fl /0704acpo.html)

If you are obstructed - or assisted - by police, please send a brief report via the Freelance's Policing Incident Report form at www.londonfreelance.org/policing