The police have been forced to pay compensation and issue a public apology to a journalist and photographer who was documenting a narrowboat fire on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Mr Bob Naylor was photographing the blaze in 2009 in which a number of people sadly died. He asked a police officer who was present at the scene if he could take photographs but the officer told him that he should not "out of common decency and respect for deceased."
My Naylor complied with the instructions of the police officer but was subjected to a humiliating ordeal when he turned to leave. He was seized from behind by police and then force to the ground and handcuffed. It was explained to him at the time that he was being arrested for breach of the peace.
Fortunately the National Union of Journalists saw the injustice in the situation and fought for My Naylor's rights as a photojournalist. Thanks to their intervention My Naylor was awarded compensation and the police issued an apology as part of a formal press statement. The police statement described that Mr Bob Naylor "was prevented from taking
photographs and unlawfully detained and that his Article 10 rights
under the European Convention on Human Rights were breached."
The statement went on to describe that their officers "failed to respect press freedom in respect of Mr Naylor contrary to Wiltshire police's own guidelines for working with members of the press." Fortunately Mr Naylor has pointed out that he has worked with Wiltshire police for many years and has never had any problems in the past. He commented "It was clear that neither the sergeant nor the inspector at the
scene were aware of the chief constable's guidelines for working with
the press. Not only was I stopped from doing my job but the violent treatment meted out to me was wholly unacceptable."
NUJ legal officer Roy Mincoff
commented "This was an outrageous and utterly unwarranted way for a
police officer to behave to an ordinary member of the public, let alone a
professional photographer properly identifying himself. Members of
the media have a duty and right to report and photograph events."
