.... why oh why do they keep doing this? Once called by the security guard the officers involved had a duty to turn up and have a quick chat with Mr Smith. So why not just leave it at that? What happened to the common sense John Yates called for last year? What on earth was the point in searching the photographer in such an apparently hostile manner? Police often claim they stuck in the middle in situations such as the one described and get the blame from both sides. And this is often the case. But when one side is so obviously wrong, what's the point in escalating the situation, rather than use a bit of nouse to defuse it and let everyone go on their way?
Police also have a duty to be fair and neutral. But this is not the same as always steering through a mid-point in every argument (so in this case the man was searched, perhaps in part to appease to security guard and to demonstrate that something was being done, but no further action was taken). Fairness and neutrality is about assessing the rights and wrongs of a situation, deciding on an appropriate course of action, and then explaining it to those involved. If that had happened in this case, I doubt we would be seeing headlines about it in national newspapers.
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