Oxford Airport
 

Had a bit of jip at Oxford Airport recently with security, was my first time visiting and I was having to use my nose to find various nooks and crannies to spot/photo from, I was keeping an eye out for no spotter/photography signs etc but I saw none. Anyway security collared me, and wrote down details off my drivers licence and made me delete all of my photos in front of her.

I've since consulted with a friend who until recently worked in airport security, and he says she did not have the authority to record my details, but may have had the right to make me delete my photos.

I was using the photos as a log as well and most were unusable as I just wanted the registrations, so I used sleight-of-hand to make sure I saved as many as I could, I saved 23 of which four were usable as photos.

Anyway, I'm curious as to what trouble (if any) I could get in if I posted these photos online against her orders?

Do it, let's find out!

Great shame. I worked there many years back and it was a reasonably friendly place. Problem is that the whole world has gone security mad.

To an extent it will depend whether you were on private land.

In the absence of any specific airport byelaws (which I can't find any evidence of on the Oxford Airport website), and assuming you're not suspected of being a terrorist, the only rights that security have are to order you to leave the airport.

If your photos were taken from a public place (not private land) you can take as many as you want usually without restriction. You should however be careful of sensitive locations based on the world we live in now. Also you should never delete any pictures. If the Police are ever involved, your pictures are your evidence of events.

If you search for "Taking photos in a public place" there is a very good Tech Radar article with a section about security guards. It mentions that they cannot make you delete any pictures and if they do they could be committing a crime.

Absolutely, she had no powers to make you delete your pictures. At the outset of higher security measures a number of incidents arose at railway stations where police officers mistakenly thought they had powers regarding persons taking photographs at stations, they were obviosly thinking of terrorism reconnaissance. Following a number of incidents of this nature officers were briefed regarding the absence of any powers to make people delete their photographs. In the case of any suspicion of terrorism reconnaissance then the suspected offender would have ben arrested and camera becomes evidence together with its contents.

They were taken on airport property, but then 99% of all my photos are taken on airports properties (never an individual air operator/companies private property), most airports are perfectly fine with it, after Oxford I went to Luton, walked the entire perimeter fence taking photos, similar security van came up to me, saw what I was doing, and left again without saying a word! Why is it good enough for most but not Oxford? They should be ashamed of themselves

I would make a complaint to Oxford Airport it certainly needs to ensure their security personnel need some guidance on their powers or more to the point the lack of them.

Definitely contact Oxford Airport to make a complaint. They can ask you to stop taking pictures or ask you to leave their property. They cannot make you delete your pictures.

As long as you have not written any further photos to the memory card, you should be able to recover the deleted photos using readily available software packages.
Only a format would physically delete the photos

CO, I would also support the above advice to make a formal complaint.

I always carry a laminated card to show any jobsworth such as you encountered.
Attachment 4271
Note the statement regarding being forced to delete images being considered an assault, although I realise you were not on public property, although maybe it was property to which the public have access, so appropriate signage would be required.

I need to look into this further, although I did take many more photos elsewhere afterwards

I'm not taking sides here but my personal understanding is that if you are on private property without invitation, that's a whole different ball game to taking photos from a public area. Furthermore, I would very strongly advise the OP not to post photos taken without permission whilst on private property. It could prove costly!

Go back and stand the other side, on public land, of the airport perimeter and start snapping away with your camera in full view of security.

She had no right to ask to see your ID unless you were entering a security restricted area and if she had any doubts regarding your credability then she should have called the police who would have the rights to ask for your details.

Taking photos of airports in not a criminal offence, yet, in UK.

Good advice here
Street photography and the law - Amateur Photographer

I learned the somewhat hard way once, I was involved in a court case and the press asked if they could take my pic, I politely declined but as I walked out of court at the end of ther day, in the dark, the photographer jumped out from behind a bush, started snapping away and got my briefcase around his skull for his trouble.

There is no law against taking pics in a public case, go back and take pics of security themselves.

As a P.S. my press photographer pressed charges for assault and criminal damage, I even pleaded guilty and still the judge declined to convict me, my solicitor had done a deal with the prosecution that if I pleaded guilty they would let me go, they all realised that the press photographer deserved everything he had coming to him :)

Sounds like you got a particularly miserable guy on that day? On the occasional visits to Oxford they've been really accomodating. The cafe by their terminal is ok, although I don't think it does weekends. Last time I went there I thought they had a spotter scheme.

Spotters can be an incredibly useful layer of security in their own right.

A

The only thing who can make you delete any pics is a high court judge with an order, that's from the Met police info how to deal with photographers, post the pics they can not stop you taking pics from a public road.