Society of Editors to raise Hackney snapper incident with ACPO

Executive director of the Society of Editors Bob Satchwell said today that he intends to raise the issue of the photographer who was threatened with arrest if she didn’t delete images with the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Freelance Carmen Valino was threatened with arrest at the scene of a shooting in Hackney, East London, on Saturday while on assignment for the Hackney Gazette.

The incident came despite ACPO having issued guidelines stressing that press photographers should not be made to delete photos by serving officers.

Satchwell said: “It is outrageous that the message from government ministers and the Association of Chief Police Officers itself is not getting through to officers on the streets.

“It’s not for them to tell the media what they can and cannot photograph and it must be stopped.

“I’m confident that Andy Trotter, chairman of the ACPO Media Advisory Group, will take this on board when I meet him next week.”