Human rights concerns after claims council filmed rough sleepers without consent
By Julia Gregory, local democracy reporter
Human rights organisation Liberty has written to Westminster Council following claims that homeless people were filmed as they slept on a street in central London.
Liberty was contacted by the Museum of Homelessness which claimed that people who were asleep on one street in the heart of Westminster have been filmed over the last 16 months without their consent.
Liberty’s lawyers have written to Westminster City Council with concerns that people were filmed inside cardboard boxes without their consent by security guards.
It asked the council to stop security guards filming rough sleepers by March 16 and warned that “harassment of people sleeping rough, including filming them while sleeping in the mornings without their consent, is likely to breach human rights laws”.
The charity’s lawyers claimed security guards have told rough sleepers they are doing a “welfare check” but said it “seemed closer to policing the area”.
It told the council it needed to check the move was compliant with human rights rules.
Liberty lawyer Lara ten Caten said: “If you’re homeless or sleeping rough, your council should be there to provide help and support, not punishment. Filming homeless people without their consent is part of an attitude to homelessness that treats people as requiring policing and punishment, rather than compassion and support.
“The pandemic has put many more people at risk of homelessness, and heightened the risks faced by people already sleeping rough.
“It’s time the Government stopped treating homelessness as a crime, and ensured people get the support they need.”
A Westminster Council spokeswoman said the claims were being investigated by its legal team.
They said: “We have been made aware of the allegations and we are looking in to this matter urgently.
“In response to Covid-19 and the cold weather, more than 800 rough sleepers have been provided emergency accommodation and our outreach teams continue to work hard every day and night to provide essential support tailored to each individual.”
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