🎥 Can I film a police officer on duty?

Yes

Quick answer

Yes — and the officer must tolerate it. Everyone has the right to record a public official exercising their statutory powers — and that includes a police officer during an intervention. It is in the public interest that people can freely obtain information about how public authorities exercise their powers in public. Officers of the police force must accept that they will be subject to public scrutiny, at least to the extent that they exercise their powers in contact with the public. Where it gets more complicated is publication: once you publish the footage — on social media, say — you run into the rules on privacy and personal data, and the purpose decides.

📋 The rules

You may film a public official exercising their powers
The officer must tolerate it
It is a matter of public interest and the right to information
On publication, the rules on privacy apply
What decides is the purpose you put the footage to

🔓 Exceptions

Filming must not obstruct or interfere with the intervention
Documenting possible misconduct is a legitimate reason
Ridicule, or sharing with no legitimate reason, is not

⚠️ Penalties & fines

The right to film and the right to publish are not the same thing. Recording an officer exercising their powers is a right protected by the constitution and the officer must tolerate it — they may not take your phone or order you to stop. But on publication — especially on social media — the rules on privacy and personal data come into play. Purpose decides: if you are documenting possible misconduct or a breach of the law, that is a legitimate course. If the aim is ridicule or sharing with no legitimate reason, it is another matter. And one thing always holds: filming must not obstruct the intervention — do not interfere with it, simply record it.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

May I film a police officer?

Yes. Recording a public official exercising their statutory powers is your right, and the officer must tolerate it. It is in the public interest that the exercise of public power can be scrutinised.

Can an officer take my phone?

Filming the exercise of powers in public is not, in itself, a ground for confiscating your phone or ordering you to stop. They must tolerate it — provided you are not obstructing or interfering with the intervention.

May I publish the footage?

Here it is more complicated. Publication runs into the rules on privacy and personal data protection. The purpose decides — documenting possible misconduct is legitimate; ridicule is not.

What counts as a "legitimate reason"?

Recording an intervention in order to document possible misconduct or a breach of the law is a legitimate course. The position differs where the aim is simply to circulate the content with no such reason.

Can filming get me into trouble?

If it obstructs the intervention, physically interferes with it, or prevents an officer exercising their powers, yes. Merely recording from a reasonable distance, however, is not a problem.

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