🚨 Cops Stopped a Man for Writing Down Their Number Plate — No Such Crime Exists (Solicitor Explains)

A man is standing in a public car park with a camera, and he takes an interest in a number plate — except it's on a police car. And for that, he's challenged, questioned, and treated as though he's committed a crime. So let me say it plainly, as a criminal defence solicitor: there is no such offence. There is no law in this country against writing down, noting, or photographing a number plate — a stranger's, your neighbour's, or a police car's — because a plate is public information, put on display by law for anyone to read. In this video I break down exactly why the officers here are on the wrong side of the law: why filming the police in public is lawful, the one power they might reach for (terrorism) and why it doesn't fit, the "GDPR" myth, and the exact questions to ask if a camera in your hand ever makes an officer nervous. I'm Edward Crane. I'm a criminal defence solicitor — fifteen years in police stations and courtrooms across England and Wales — and my job on this channel is to take real police encounters and show you what the law actually allowed, and what it didn't. This isn't legal advice; it's plain-English education, so that if it's ever you holding the camera, you already know the law better than the officer in front of you. 📘 Everything in this video — that filming in public is lawful, what police can and can't do about your camera, when the "terrorism" power really applies, and the exact questions that force an officer to justify himself — is in one short, plain-English guide: the Know Your Rights handbook. 👉 Get it here: https://knowrightsuk.gumroad.com/l/kn... ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 — Stopped for writing down a police plate 0:56 — Who I am 2:12 — A number plate is public — by law 3:45 — Noting a plate is no crime 4:21 — Police have NO power to stop you filming 5:42 — The question that cuts to it: "am I being detained?" 8:33 — Curiosity is not a power 9:06 — The terrorism card (s.58A) — and why it doesn't fit 10:16 — Ordinary photography = a reasonable excuse 11:21 — The "GDPR / data protection" myth 13:20 — No offence = no lawful arrest 13:46 — The Know Your Rights handbook 14:38 — The exact words to say 15:54 — Subscribe 📋 WHAT THIS VIDEO COVERS ✅ A number plate is public information — the law requires it displayed for anyone to read — so there is NO offence in writing down, noting, or photographing one, including a police vehicle's ✅ Filming and photographing the police, and police vehicles, in a public place is lawful — the police's OWN guidance says they have no power to stop you, make you delete footage, or seize your camera ✅ "Am I being detained?" forces an officer to state a lawful basis; with no offence, there is no basis to detain you ✅ The terrorism card — s.58A Terrorism Act — is narrowly construed: it needs the info to be genuinely useful to a terrorist AND no reasonable excuse; ordinary/press photography is not caught, and you have a reasonable excuse ✅ "GDPR / data protection" is not a shield to stop you filming in public; the police redacting plates on their own posts is their editorial choice, not a law against you ✅ No offence means no lawful arrest (an arrest needs a real offence + necessity) → an arrest without a lawful basis is false imprisonment ✅ What to say: "What offence do you say I've committed?" and "Am I being detained, or am I free to go?"; never delete your footage; stay calm, keep filming, challenge it afterwards ⚠️ DISCLAIMER General information on the law of England & Wales — not legal advice. Every case turns on its facts; if you're arrested or facing action, get a solicitor and take the free legal advice you're entitled to at the police station. Commentary is on the facts shown and reflects the law generally; no finding against any individual officer is intended. 🎥 Body-worn/handheld footage via Reggie Photo (used as short, transformative excerpts for legal commentary and education). Credit to the original creator. #KnowYourRights #FilmingThePolice #PhotographyIsNotACrime #Section58A #TerrorismAct #UKLaw #PolicePowers #CivilLiberties #EdwardCrane #KnowYourRightsUK