Evening Standard – “I will not let police be subjected to trial by social media” says Priti Patel

Home Secretary Priti Patel has supported plans for police to publish more bodycam footage of events to tackle “misleading” social media videos.

She told the annual Police Federation of England and Wales conference “I will not let the police be subjected to trial by social media.”

“That’s why I backed the federation’s call for forces to share body-worn video footage to counter highly selective, and misleading, video clips uploaded on to social media.”

Big Brother Watch legal and policy officer Mark Johnson said: “The availability of smartphones and access to social media have been vital tools in highlighting police misconduct and the unwarranted use of force. It is troubling that the Home Secretary is so averse to the empowerment of individual citizens and police accountability.

“The Police Federation’s suggestion that social media companies should censor unflattering footage of police, in the wake of the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, is transparently self-serving and ludicrous. This approach is bad for civil liberties and out of step with the principles of policing by consent.”

Evening Standard – I will not let police be subjected to trial by social media, says Patel

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