Legal Update 2

Post climate camp - legal update 2

Reclaiming seized property

Legal services at Kent Police have publicised a strategy for property collection (see below) which involves four days for collection in person over this weekend and they are thinking of repeating this a few more times.

However, since then there has been some contact between the Climate Camp legal support team and Kent Police legal services and in principle the following has been agreed:

- All property will be retained for 12 months.

- The property seized from the site under the warrant can be collected and liaison is now taking place about when and what size lorry will be needed. Current thoughts are that the property will be taken to the next national gathering and that people can reclaim things through their neighbourhoods attending the meeting and the rest will be retained by the Climate Camp. Please could someone from site contact legal@climatecamp.org.uk to liaise in relation to this.

- Individuals can correspond by email with legal services legal.services@climatecamp.org.uk. and send their scanned receipt, or if they have no receipt a description of the items and where and when they were seized. They have now agreed, if the item is small it will (at their discretion) be sent through the post to an address they provide, provided a disclaimer is signed. The two legal teams are working on the wording of the disclaimer and we will let you know when it is in place. Neighbourhoods may want to think about whether they can offer local addresses for collection so people do not have to use their home addresses and how that might work.

- Bigger items (no idea what counts as big or small) could be collected when the stuff seized under the warrant is collected provided there is an appropriate disclaimer in place. On a case by case basis other reasonably practicable solutions will be considered, they are not keen on delivery to local police stations but it is not absolutely ruled out.

- Their primary concern is to protect Kent Police from claims for property that does not reach the claimant.

HQ wrote:

"There is an opportunity to collect property seized during Climate Camp 2008.

Gravesend Police Station, 133 Windmill Street, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 DB,

Friday 22nd August 2008

Saturday 23rd August 2008

Sunday 24th August 2008

Tuesday 26th August 2008

Wednesday 27th August 2008

Opening times on all days will be 1000 to 1800

To reclaim your property, you will need to bring photo identification and the receipt the police gave you for your property during Climate Camp

If you are unable to collect your property, you may nominate a person to collect it on your behalf. They must bring written, signed authorisation from you, their photo identification, and the police receipt for your property.

All property will be returned at the discretion of the officer or member of staff on duty at the station."

Contact details

The correct telephone number for Kent Legal Services is 01622 690690 and Julie Martin is now dealing with the property.

Call out

Arrests - this year we would quite like to monitor the outcome of arrests so please do let us know if you end up not being charged, or having the charges dropped, or if you do get convicted what the conviction is for and what the outcome in terms of a fine etc. If you have a court date coming up and need access to statements and potential witnesses please contact us directly orvia your solicitor on legal@climatecamp.org.uk.

The Climate Camp legal team has a pink search form for 19:47 7 August 2008,
male, Point 1 Dux Court Road (main car park?) where during a section 60 search a bike chain was seized - a seal number was written on the receipt.
If this might be yours please contact legal@climatecamp.org.uk.

A man in a black fleece and blue rucksack was manhandled by an inspector at the Golf Club search point on Saturday 9th August at 10.35am and is looking for the legal observer who he spoke to afterwards in case they made some notes. If you might be able to help or saw what happened please contact legal@climatecamp.org.uk.