Police arrest person for filming outside Hastings Police Station

The suspect was detained outside the building in Bohemia Road, Hastings, and questioned.

Police said the person was later “de-arrested” and no further action was taken.

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One Twitter user, @Toffee1995, tweeted Hastings Police to ask why the person was arrested, and said it was “disgraceful policing”. They claimed officers were “trumping up” a power under Section 50 of the Police Reform Act 2002 - which provides police with the power to request a person’s name and address. “Seems a clear case of an officer deliberately misusing powers to obtain details,” they said. “This type of behaviour erodes the public trust & respect for the police. Hopefully the officers involved have been warned about their conduct.”

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A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “We can confirm that officers spoke with a person who was filming outside Hastings Police Station on Wednesday December 1. Filming in a public space is not an offence in itself, however through the conversation with this individual, our officers determined there were grounds to detain and arrest the person. After further engagement, the individual was de-arrested and no further action was taken.”

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