Welsh Lib Dem PCC candidate Sam Bennett calls for change in approach of South Wales Police following mishap around arrested photographer

The Welsh Liberal Democrat PCC candidate for South Wales Police Sam Benett has urged the force to “rethink their priorities” in the fallout of the arresting of a press photographer.

Dimitris Legakis, a freelance photographer who runs the Athena Picture Agency, was detained with “considerable force” whilst covering a car fire and was held in custody for 15 hours.

Swansea Crown Court heard that there was “no evidential basis” to charge Mr Legakis and as a result the case was dropped.

Judge Geraint Walters, who was overseeing the case, described the case as “disturbing” and said that it had appeared as though a police officer had “took offence” to him taking pictures.

Commenting, the Welsh Liberal Democrat PCC candidate for South Wales Police Sam Benett said:

“I am glad that this case against Mr Legakis has been dropped and I hope that going forward more will be done to prevent abuses of police powers like this.

Cases like these do nothing but erode public trust, more must be done to prevent individual errors in judgement smearing an entire force.

This issue strikes at the very core of community policing, we need a razor-sharp focus on restoring public trust in our police force here in South Wales.”