I’ve always had respect for rank and file police officers especially when they have to handle demonstrations for which they might well as individuals have some sympathy.
But a few days ago my respect was seriously tested by a handful of officers who stopped me from filming an anti-fracking protest in Lancashire.
I’d been trying to explain on camera a “lock-on” tube. It’s a device usually made from a super heavy iron bar which activists use to make themselves as immobile as possible. It makes the job of removing them from a public highway, for example, much harder than it might otherwise be.
No choice
Without warning a group of officers came up behind me, confiscated the device. I explained politely that I was working for Sky News but they insisted on escorting me on foot to my car (about a mile away) so that they could see my Press pass. We had no choice but to stop our work.
Arrest
The cameraman I was working with offered to show his pass there and then but the officers refused to accept it. Two of them from the neighbouring Cumbrian force insisted on seeing mine. I pointed out that I was obviously working together with the cameraman (they could see we had a satellite vehicle) and surely it was clear to anybody that we there legitimately…but still they insisted. I was under no doubt that had I refused they would have arrested me.
The purpose of my report was to show how both demonstrators and the boss of energy firm Cuadrilla were increasingly concerned at the level of violence being used at fracking sites. Campaigners say police and security guards are becoming increasingly heavy -handed. Cuadrilla’s chief exec Francis Egan says it’s the demonstrators using violence and intimidation to stop people going about their law abiding work.
I, like the vast majority of journalists, am trying to report as impartially as I can. So give us a break officers. I’m just trying to go about my law abiding work.
mynewsnorth 
I wouldn’t usually post on this but I feel that I need to give some sort of context this.
When you arrived at the site, there were several lock ons already in place on the roadside with campaigners locked to them preventing access to the site. These campaigners will go to all lengths to implement these lock ons, which has been seen on several videos where they can be seen dragging police officers who try to prevent them.
Locking on can be a criminal offence and each protestor who decides to lock on is made well aware that the most likely outcome will be arrest.
As police have become aware of tactics, the tactics of the campaigners has evolved and they use innovative ways to try and catch police off guard. Someone smartly dressed with a camera man posing to be press would not be such a far fetched tactic.
I feel that in doing this piece of journalism as you did was rather irresponsible for the following reasons.
The police were not aware of your intentions prior to carrying it out.
You brought a live lock on device to a protest site where the police have had numourous lock ons causing obstructions to a busy main road
This lock on could have been taken off you by campaigners and then used for real, causing a huge inconvenience for local resident, emergency services and the police at the site should that have closed the road. I would go as far to say that if this did happen you would also have committed some of the offences in supplying the device.
It may have seemed a huge inconvenience to go and get the press pass, but would it have been worth the risk for the police should you have been a decoy and the campaigners lock on to the main road, in front of the police and live on sky news?
If you would like to see some lock ons, I’m sure it can be arranged for you to view a huge variety but I would strongly suggest doing this in a controlled environment.
I would ask, if you were doing a piece on weapons, would you stand in a busy shopping centre, holding a real gun talking to the camera, or would you expect to be challenged?
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Hi Craig, just wondering if you are a Police Officer, Cuadrilla employee or just an interested bystander. In my experience Police Officers are not stupid and could quickly and easily determine if this guy was genuine or not – they were being deliberately obstructive to his reporting.
However, I would accept their right to seize the lock on device if they genuinely believed it posed a risk – It is not as if there is a shortage of police officers at the site to make any necessary checks.
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I hope you will be returning with many more of your colleagues to show the force that is bein shown to the public that said No!
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Re the Sky news interview with Frances Egan who refers to arrests and someone with a knife. I did some digging Frances Egan says one person had a knife. After much digging I found out he was referring to John Tootil, a nurseryman with his own business and well respected member of the community, who had his penknife in his pocket for using as a work tool for plants and twine. Here is a link to the Youtube video of John’s arrrest completely unnecessary pls share as Egan tries to criminalise ordinary residents. https://youtu.be/ELiVGfXEkX4
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Thanks for this show what heavy handed policing is in Lancashire and elsewhere. You should look into incidents at Barton Moss.
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I have watched random live videos from PNR over the past few months and have been disgusted to see police officers barging elderly people to the ground and allowing beefy site security staff punch and throttle peaceful protesters. My faith in our police force has gone through the floor – The Chief Constable should have someone monitoring these videos to initiate disciplinary action – This won’t happen because a lot of the officers are drafted in from elsewhere.
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