Forward Intelligence Team
Watching the Watchers
Police body wrap a FIT Watch protester Val Swain mother of three from Cardiff, who was photographing officers without identify numbers conduct stop and searches at Climate Camp near Kingsnorth coal fired electricity station. Rochester, Kent.
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
They are making a complaint about their treatment by the police to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
See Climate Camp Fit Watch three arrests web gallery here
After photographing the brutal arrest of the three FIT Watch protesters myself and other media colleagues were stopped and searched and detained for over an hour. We were then followed to a restaurant several miles away and were filmed through the window by the police Forward Intelligence Team.
Protecting and Serving the People – Police Apology
In August of last year I covered Climate Camp at Kingsnorth Power Station. There was a massive policing operation involving officers drawn from forces all over the country.
The media were filmed and searched entering and leaving the field where the protest camp was.
On one occasion after photographing a rather brutal arrest of protesters who had been filming the police we were detained for over an hour. We were then followed to a restaurant several miles away and were filmed through the window by the police Forward Intelligence Team.
On that particular day I was stopped and searched three times and detained for over two hours.
This is a copy of the letter of apology I received from the police.
Here is the NUJ statement here
Read BJP article here
See Climate Camp web gallery here