Policy on members of the public photographing police in public.

M. Gilmour made this Official Information request to New Zealand Police

The request was successful.

From: M. Gilmour

Dear New Zealand Police,

By way of background, I recently attempted to take a photograph of the aftermath of a vehicle accident, while in an area accessible to the public and outside of the police cordon. If it is relevant, there were no visible victims or blood or similar. I was told that it was illegal to photograph a crime scene under investigation and ordered to delete any photos taken.

I believe I was within my rights, but complied to avoid causing a scene when the police and fire personnel on the scene had better things to do.

Can you please share any police policy, legal advice, internal documents, or any other material that would shed light on whether ordering me to stop taking photos and delete what I had was in fact a legal & valid request?

Yours faithfully,

M. Gilmour

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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police

Tēnā koe M. Gilmore
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 request below, received by Police on 5 April.

Your reference number is IR-01-23-10896.

You can expect a response to your request on or before 8 May 2023 unless an extension is needed.

Ngā mihi
Sophie
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
-----Original Message-----
From: M. Gilmour <[FOI #22398 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 5 April 2023 7:28 PM
To: Ministerial Services <[email address]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Policy on members of the public photographing police in public.

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

Dear New Zealand Police,

By way of background, I recently attempted to take a photograph of the aftermath of a vehicle accident, while in an area accessible to the public and outside of the police cordon. If it is relevant, there were no visible victims or blood or similar. I was told that it was illegal to photograph a crime scene under investigation and ordered to delete any photos taken.

I believe I was within my rights, but complied to avoid causing a scene when the police and fire personnel on the scene had better things to do.

Can you please share any police policy, legal advice, internal documents, or any other material that would shed light on whether ordering me to stop taking photos and delete what I had was in fact a legal & valid request?

Yours faithfully,

M. Gilmour

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WARNING
The information contained in this email message is intended for the addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this message or any of its contents.
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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police


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Tēnā koe M Gilmour                               

Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request, received by New Zealand Police on 5 April 2023.

 

Please accept our apologies for the delay in providing you with this
response.

 

Ngā mihi

Dylan

 

 

Dylan

Advisor | Ministerial Services | Police National Headquarters

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===============================================================

WARNING

The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents.

Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect
those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in
error, please email or telephone the sender immediately

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From: M. Gilmour

Dear Ministerial Services,

Thank you Dylan.

Yours sincerely,

M. Gilmour

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