Human rights group calls on council to end “harassment”, filming of rough sleepers in BID area

Lawyers at human rights organisation Liberty have written to Westminster City Council claiming that the treatment by security guards of people sleeping rough on a street in a business improvement district (BID) may amount to breach of human rights laws.

In a letter Liberty said it had been contacted by charity Museum of Homelessness which alleged that those who remain rough sleeping in Southampton Street in the Northbank BID had been filmed inside the cardboard boxes they sleep in, when they are asleep, without their consent.

This had happened on most mornings for the last 16 months, it was claimed.

However, the council has denied that this filming had been carried out by its officers or services it had commissioned.

Liberty, which alleged that the local authority had previously hosed down the rough sleepers’ belongings in the middle of winter, called on Westminster to ensure that the security guards’ actions are compliant with the council’s obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998.  “Such intrusive filming is very likely to be in breach of article 8 ECHR that enshrines everyone’s right to respect for their private and family life.”

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 City Council spokesperson said: “We do not allow filming of rough sleepers and we are not aware of any filming being done by council officers nor any service commissioned by the council to support rough sleepers.

“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.”