CharlieT Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 The laws are pretty clear at the moment and have been used, here is BASC's advice: https://basc.org.uk/cop/disruption-of-shoots-by-demonstrators/ I would be interested to hear what gaps are felt to exist in the current laws, but I do tend to agree with the concept that current laws do need to be enforced, and I do know that there are some concerns around the right to remove balaclava's and other head coverings for example David Exactly that...... http://www.countryside-alliance.org/thank-you-for-helping-us-try-to-unmask-the-hunt-saboteurs/ Come David, you can't tell me that you are not up to speed on the CA stance on the matter and why. A quote from the CA. Extremists know that wearing face coverings masks their identities, making prosecution unlikely, and intimidates those who they are protesting against. Yet the powers to remove face coverings have been used more often at football matches than they have at hunts. "Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables have assured us that the powers they have to unmask protestors are sufficient, yet in the entire country we can find just one example of those powers being used to unmask hunt saboteurs in the last three years. "It is simply ridiculous that police officers at the scene of potentially violent disruption cannot order people to remove face coverings and identify themselves without the written permission of a senior officer. "Individual police officers on the ground must have the authority to order the removal of face coverings exactly as they have the power of arrest. The Government has an opportunity to address this anomaly in the Policing and Crime Bill and we hope that it addresses this blight on so many rural communities." And a Telegraph article........http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/24/mps-demand-change-in-the-law-to-unmask-violent-hunt-saboteurs/ It's happened on shoots and I have no reason to suspect that such antics will increase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 The laws are pretty clear at the moment and have been used, here is BASC's advice: https://basc.org.uk/cop/disruption-of-shoots-by-demonstrators/ I would be interested to hear what gaps are felt to exist in the current laws, but I do tend to agree with the concept that current laws do need to be enforced, and I do know that there are some concerns around the right to remove balaclava's and other head coverings for example David How about leaving the balaclava on and just remove the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David BASC Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 Charlie T, Yes very much aware of the head covering issue, which is why I specifically mentioned it; indeed the last time I was speaking to Tim B, he and I had a long chat about it. The point remains perhaps that the law is robust enough on aggravated trespass for example it's the specific issue of masks / head covering that needs to be addressed, not a wholesale revamp of the legislation, the former could probably be done quite quickly and easily, the later is likely to be way more time consuming and trickier, and may not get the desired result So perhaps focussing on the head covering issue is potentially more effective than petitioning for a broad brush review? Just my personal view. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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