When Cllr Chris Bidwell met recently with Bedfordshire Police, he asked for their advice on photographing people suspected of a crime. Since most of us now have a (phone) camera to hand most of the time, it is quite possible that any of us could find ourselves with the opportunity to photograph or video an offence taking place. Is it a good, responsible thing to do, or could it land you in hot water?

The answer he was given is that it is perfectly legal to photograph a person who is suspected of wrongdoing, including children, but that any photos must then be given over to the Police to pursue an investigation. They should never be put on social media or displayed publicly in an attempt to identify the person involved. If this is done, not only could it make the photos unusable to the Police, it could also leave the person who displays them liable to court action.