Photographers will continue to face possible Section 44 anti-terror stops despite today’s European court ruling, according to the Home Office.
A Home Office spokesman said that it is still too early to say whether the government will issue fresh guidelines to police forces while it seeks legal advice over the implications of the European Court of Human Rights’ decision in Strasbourg.
Earlier today the Home Office said it plans to lodge an appeal.
‘We are still considering the decision,’ the spokesman said later.
Asked what policy the nation’s police forces should adopt in the meantime, the spokesman told Amateur Photographer: ‘It is up to individual police forces to seek legal advice in the interim.’
He claimed that the anti-terrorism legislation continues to be legally enforceable.
The Home Office has three months to lodge its appeal.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Freelance Photographers (BFP) has welcomed the court’s decision, along with others in the profession.
A BFP spokesman said: ‘It reinforces the view that people should not be stopped and searched without very good reason.
‘It effectively confirms that people should not be stopped and searched while taking photographs, whether they are a professional or amateur photographer.’
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