Legalities of filming a public space

[AndyNetwork]

After some advice over a situation I have.

Over the road from my house is a church with a yard, and the local scallies seem to like to congregate around the entrance to the church yard smoking cannabis and generally meeting their dealers there. This is to the extent that I cannot have the windows open due to the smell.

The local council and police say there is nothing they can do, as they have no evidence of who it is, despite on several occasions police vans passing by who given the smell, could not fail to know what is going on.


If I was to set up a webcam in the window filming the area they congregate, would this be admissible as evidence, or am I opening myself up for a whole host of leftie human rights objections?

[Cold]

Filming from within your property towards a public space is subject to some restrictions, but there's nothing to stop you from walking past the potheads with your camera on record. Be better for identification purposes too.

[Foliage]

The police wont give a fk, once you produce video they will come up with some other reason for not attending. Low level dealers are low priority.

[WJNB]

Foliage said:

The police wont give a fk, once you produce video they will come up with some other reason for not attending. Low level dealers are low priority.

.....& if you add the evidence that minor thefts from shops or minors that thieve from shops is a matter few
Police bother to respond to AND the perfectly dreadful disgusting awful terrible shameful sad outcome of a recent report that some forces take up to 5 weeks to respond to racist complaints your scallies have nothing to fear.

[anonymous-user]

If they are on public land they have no expectations of privacy and you can film what you like.

[AndyNetwork]

But you can bet your next pay packet if I went out to tell them to bugger off, and used a piece of 2x2 to re-enforce the point, they would be around in a flash, and it wouldn't be them that ended up in the back of the van.

[surveyor]

Time to play classical music directed at them. See how long they last.

[mbcx4jrh]

There is no law against filming in a public space... getting BiB to do anything might be another matter. howver my experience with scrote on stolen mopeds on a cycle path is that the police sergeant loved it and was only too happy to take my statement, and charge...

[Donbot]

AndyNetwork said:

But you can bet your next pay packet if I went out to tell them to bugger off, and used a piece of 2x2 to re-enforce the point, they would be around in a flash, and it wouldn't be them that ended up in the back of the van.

But if they threaten you with a weapon they would be round sharpish.



Plant some knives around their usual hangout and call the police on them.

Actually, don't do this.

[grumpyscot]

What about filming from the street, then posting the film on Facebook?

[PAULJ5555]

Why can you not just call 999 and tell them a crime is taking place now.

You also saw two of them with knifes right.

Edited by PAULJ5555 on Friday 20th July 12:27

[PAULJ5555]

Print off some notices that say the police are watching this area as they have been reported using drugs. Place them on the walls see if it scares them off.

[hornmeister]

Lots of regulations now about private CCTV that covers areas other than the owners land. I wouldn't be surprised if plod decided to prosecute you for not conforming to the regulations as it's an easier collar than sorting out the issue.

Problem is if you film them from a public place you may be spotted and then you may suffer reactions.

Migth be something for your local MP but have you contacted the church. Probably worth them installing CCTV or at least putting up signs. Might be enough to shift them on.

[Carlson W6]

AndyNetwork said:

But you can bet your next pay packet if I went out to tell them to bugger off, and used a piece of 2x2 to re-enforce the point, they would be around in a flash, and it wouldn't be them that ended up in the back of the van.

To be fair, one incident is youths smoking a substance that is fairly accepted as having no long term effects, and is legal to use recreationally in many countries,
and the other incident would be assault with a weapon at the very least.

No matter how annoying they may be, using a piece of 2x1 on some pot smoking youths isn’t really acceptable morally or legally.

[Carlson W6]

PS- my advice would be to rig up some speakers in your front garden and play classic FM whenever they are at the churchyard.

[Roofless Toothless]

I think I'd rather enjoy that.

By the way, if you think that smoking dope has no long term effects, I could arrange a meeting with my son, who is a mental health nurse, and could tell you otherwise.

I presume the OP has contacted the church authorities? It's their land after all.

[ElectricPics]

Carlson W6 said:

No matter how annoying they may be, using a piece of 2x1 on some pot smoking youths isn’t really acceptable morally or legally.

It was 2x2. 2x1 would probably snap when you hit them.

[anonymous-user]

AndyNetwork said:

... leftie human rights objections?

Human rights are not politically aligned.

Factoid: the European Convention on Human Rights (the basis for the Human Rights Act 1998) was substantially inspired by Winston Churchill, and was substantially drafted by a Conservative politician and lawyer (Home Secretary and later Lord Chancellor in Tory administrations) - David Maxwell-Fyfe KC, later Viscount Kilmuir.

[Carlson W6]

Roofless Toothless said:

By the way, if you think that smoking dope has no long term effects, I could arrange a meeting with my son, who is a mental health nurse, and could tell you otherwise.

How long has he been smoking and does he feel it compromises his ability to do his job?

[anonymous-user]

get a sign that says cctv in operation at the front of your house.