Two men in court charged with filming children at Paisley park

Two men have appeared in court charged with filming and taking pictures of children at a park last month.

Manpreet Singh, 27, and Janpreet Singh, 29, appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court on Wednesday, April 2, charged with behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on March 30 at Barshaw Park.

The summary sheet alleges their actions included loitering near the children’s play park and taking images and videos of children “unknown” to them.

A warrant was also granted by the court for officers to search their homes in Paisley and Glasgow.

Police issue ‘misinformation’ warning amid reports of filming

Officers say they have also investigated a “small number” of unconnected reports of filming, in which these have been found to be parents filming their own children or other individuals who were not filming children and no criminality was established.

Police Scotland said it takes reports seriously and will investigate any matters reported.

However, the force urged members of the public not to share speculation or inaccurate information and to “think twice” about what they read, share and believe from online sources.

Assistant chief constable Catriona Paton said: “Given concerns about filming, I would ask people to remind anyone videoing or photographing in public to respect those around them.

“Police officers balance the rights of people to film with the potential to cause fear or alarm and make decisions based on individual circumstances.

“I would encourage responsible use of social media and ask people not to share speculation or inaccurate information.

“Please think twice about what you read, share and believe from online sources.

“It is not illegal to take photographs or video footage in public places unless it is for criminal purposes.”