In this video, News Now Yorkshire visits the Cliff Road Police Station in Hull. The visit is a follow-up to an incident in which one of their team, Luffy, was stopped and forced to give details on section 50 of the Police Reform Act. Section 50 requires individuals to provide their details, and failure to comply is a separate offense. News Now Yorkshire claims that the use of section 50 is an unlawful abuse of power.
During the visit, officers ask for the team’s details under section 50. News Now Yorkshire claims that the request is an abuse of power and that officers frequently misuse section 50 to gain details about individuals. They argue that the anti-social behavior act, under which section 50 falls, is also known as the “police officer’s friend” because it allows officers to easily gain individuals’ details.
The video shows the exchange between the officers and News Now Yorkshire, with officers accusing them of acting in an anti-social manner and News Now Yorkshire arguing that they are simply exercising their right to film in public. The exchange becomes heated, with the officer demanding details under threat of arrest and News Now Yorkshire accusing the officer of abusing their power.
News Now Yorkshire ultimately provides their details to avoid arrest, but they argue that the use of section 50 is a clear abuse of power by police. They claim to have encountered section 50 on several occasions during their audits and believe that it is frequently used to gather information on individuals.
The video concludes with News Now Yorkshire urging police to stop abusing section 50 and accusing them of using it as a way to gain information on individuals. They state that they will continue to expose abuses of power by police in their audits.
