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Cops want stop to social media scrutiny
Fury after Met union urges action to prevent people sharing videos of police
A protester stands in front of a police line near to Bridewell Police station during the 'Kill The Bill' protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Bristol

THE Metropolitan Police Federation came under fire today after calling on the government to censor videos of officers circulated online. 

Ken Marsh, the leader of the London police union, which represents more than 30,000 officers, said it was time to end “trial by social media.” 

He was responding to the police watchdog’s verdict on a complaint about footage of a stop-and-search incident last year that went viral. 

Big Brother Watch's legal and policy officer Madeleine Stone said: “Social media has become an invaluable tool for holding police forces to account for their all too frequent aggressive and unlawful enforcement.
 
“Without it, countless injustices would never have come to light. Calls for citizens to be prevented from sharing unflattering footage of police is something that belongs in a police-state, not a democracy.”
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