Sunday, February 12, 2012

Police apologise over video showing PCSO accusing animal rights protester filming pet store of being a terrorist

A police force has apologised to an animal rights campaigner after a community support officer said a protest group had links to “known terrorists”.

Ali Firth, 49, was filming a small demo outside outside Bramley pet supermarket Dogs 4 Us, when she was told by an officer to stop filming or her camera would be confiscated. A police community support officer told Ms Firth that the protest group “is connected to known terrorists”.


YouTube link.

She asked the officer to elaborate but was told: “No – it would breach data protection.” Ms Firth, a disabilities support worker from Horncastle, Lincolnshire, formally complained about “unprofessional behaviour”.

A West Yorkshire police spokesman said the footage had been viewed and the officers involved had been “advised accordingly”. A company spokesman for Dogs 4 Us said the protesters had shouted “untruths” and were “just a nuisance to society”.

1 comment:

Gareth said...

Why is it always PCSOs? It seems if you give somebody no power of arrest, but a uniform that makes it looks like they have that power they immediatelt turn into a little hitler.

Round here they used to be known as "plastic plod" but the name "plastic hitler" is getting more popular.