Delivery driver questioned under anti-terror laws after taking picture of police parked in a bus stop

A delivery driver was pulled over and questioned under anti-terror laws after taking these pictures of police vehicles parked in a bus stop.

Kieron Power, 54, was stopped in a pincer manoeuvre by a pair of police cars after he took photographs of two vehicles parked up in a bus stand - because his wife was given a £110 ticket for doing the same thing.

Mr Power was incensed after his wife was slapped with the ticket for stopping in the same place for 45 seconds, behind the police car and van that he photographed.

A week after receiving the ticket, handed out by a Kingston Council CCTV 'spy car', he returned to the town in south west London to gather evidence of police cars parked in the bus stop.

Mr Power, from Esher, Surrey, was on his way home when a police car came rushing up behind him with its blue lights flashing.

He said: 'I didn't think much, because I wasn't doing anything wrong, but then all of a sudden another police car appeared in front of me in a pincer movement and I was forced to stop. 'I thought, "Goodness, what have I done?"

'They told me they were stopping me under the Prevention of Terrorism act. They said I'd been seen taking pictures of police cars, which I admitted.

'I told them why, but they still demanded my pictures be deleted. It was madness. I refused, because I had done nothing wrong, and the officer spoke to his commander. Eventually I was allowed on my way - it seemed so heavy-handed.

'I was annoyed that my wife had been given a ticket for briefly stopping somewhere the police always park, but I never dreamed I would be accused of being a terrorist.'

Mr Power's wife has since been forced to pay the ticket for parking in the bus stand behind the Bittoms centre in Kingston-upon-Thames, after his appeal on the grounds that police were blocking the 'bus stand' markings was denied.

Kingston Police admitted to their heavy-handed tactics against the amateur photographer, who took the pictures from the pavement.

A spokesman said: 'The man was initially requested to delete the photos, however after the officer clarified the Metropolitan Police Service's approach towards photography of police officers and vehicles with his supervisors, he realised the man was allowed to keep them.

'The police vehicles parked on the bus stand are part of the Met's Safer Transport Command and have been given permission by the local authority to park there.'

Mr Power said: 'I've never been in trouble with the law before. The whole thing is ridiculous. 'I appreciate that police cars need to stop wherever they can for operational matters, but these vehicles are always there. 'It's one rule for them and one rule for us, I suppose.'

Original report here

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