Norfolk Constabulary Unlawfully Disperse Cameraman Legally Filming in Public

The following was submitted by longtime CopBlock Network Contributor Marcus Potter. If you have a story or video of police brutality or misconduct please share it using the submit tab. If you would like to take a more active role in spreading the message that “badges don’t grant extra rights” check out the many roles filled by CBN contributors and see which one fits best into your schedule.

December 30 2016
PC Callum Watson 833
Norfolk Police Website
Phone: +441953424242
Email: enquiries@norfolk.pnn.police.uk

On the 30th December 2016 PC 833 Watson approached me after I filmed a female member of the public, a female police officer and a male police officer on Prince of Wales Road, Norwich. Watson asked me “Do you know what a section 35 notice is?” to which I replied “I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY”. Watson proceeded to explain section 35 and ask me for my date of birth. I refused to provide him with this and Watson then radioed his control room in order to request my address and date of birth.

These details were both provided to him and were noted down on the section 35 notice. Watson explained that I would be banned from the area of Norwich inside the inner ring road for the next 48 hours and asked me if I wanted to sign the notice to which I replied “NO”. He then offered me the notice, which I refused to accept
and explained the grounds on which the notice was issued on. These were that I had acted in an anti-social manner namely by filming a “vulnerable female” whilst she was “being led away from a harassing situation” and other “members of the public”. Watson then warned me that failing to comply with the notice would result in my arrest for “breaching a section 35 notice”, informed me that I must leave the area “immediately” and that I had 10 minutes to “get out of view of the Police”.

Anti-social behavior is legally defined by section 2 of the Anti Social Behavior Policing and Crime Act 2014 and I do not feel that my actions constituted anti-social behavior on the grounds that no one was caused alarm or distress by them. – Marcus Potter