Though you'll be stopped, asked for ID (not compulsory in the UK), and fined if you decline. That sounds like being viewed as suspicious to me. It's a shame it sounds like he didn't decline the fixed penalty to get a court case. We're overdue for some civil disobedience.
Punished for speech?
But as a matter of policy, who is really the one being threatening here? The man bristling at the government collecting personal data or the police officer with backup and (presumably) violent means of arresting the man?
(I'm not saying that I agree with this, but it is the argument being used).
Officer, arrest them! They are intimidating me by their refusal to respect my human rights!
It's kind of a slippery slope once you start trying to carve the troublemakers out from the public. That action can even be said to be incitory by it's nature.
Perhaps the police should arrest themselves for being a walking intimidation tool for the majority?
Dirty business that. If you're not interfering in a clearly criminal act, you are just acting as an intimidation force. Unjustified weaponization of suspicion can be just as harmful to a Law Enforcement Organiztion's legitimacy as unjustified use of lethal force.
The criminals you avoid creating through mounting I'll will and despair from the inevitable taint of interacting with the legal system will be a net gain for society.
I'm not saying without Leo's there would be no criminals; rather that continual nuisance and intrusion of the Systems in law abiding citizen's lives only serves to push more of the population toward unrest.
I'd advocate showing nothing but contempt to a police officer who refuses to let me go about my business when I have committed no crimes.
But sure, intonation is a thing. "I beg your pardon" can be said in a threatening way.
Well I'm sure the UK has professionals who can help you with these feelings of anxiety and dread
Is being told to "piss off" intimidating or threatening?
Hmm, how do you generally prove identity in the UK?[1]
[1] Actually this is something I could easily look up on the Internet, sorry. I don't mean to waste your time.
To prove who we are we can use a driving license or passport, if we have one. But there are many people with neither. In that case it's quite complex and usually requires a trustworthy person (doctor, lawyer, chartered engineer) who knows you well to confirm your identity.
e.g. I suspect you of going equipped to commit burglary due to your stripey jumper, crowbar and bag with "swag" printed on it.
Proving ID is usually done via passport or driving licence. If you don't have those producing a couple from bank statement, utility bill or council tax bill is usually enough. I'm old enough to have got bank account without any requirement for ID at all. Yes, that means it can be a chain of circumstantial evidence rather than proof.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/facial-recogniti...
The UK wants a National Insurance number to register to vote. https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
UK residents are sent a National Insurance number automatically just before their 16th birthday. https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number
Pulling up an arbitrary UK bank, https://www.tsb.co.uk/current-accounts/faqs/identity/ shows many options to establish identity, including ones that don't require an identification card. Those under 18, for example, can use a National Insurance card or letter.
I don't know what domestic flights are like in the UK. From what I can tell, it's left to the airlines. Most (? all?) require some sort of id, and different airlines accept different forms. For example, FlyBe allows "Council issued bus pass" and "NUS card (National Union of Students)" and "Company ID card of nationally recognised company" - https://www.flybe.com/check-in/id-requirements .
In some countries (I'm thinking Australia, based on a podcast I listened to from a couple of years ago), domestic check-in is all automated and does not always require an id check. https://www.jetstar.com/au/en/help/articles/travel-identific... says "If you’re travelling with checked baggage on a domestic flight in New Zealand, you must provide ID." "Accepted ID types" include "Original or certified copy of a birth certificate", so "ID" is pretty broad.
Something like 17 states in the US don't require any form of id to vote - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_ID_laws_in_the_United_St... - so this isn't unique to the UK.
To point out, voter impersonation - the sort of fraud which ID cards might solve - are very rare. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_impersonation_(United_St... . The vote is private, so if there was an organized system it's difficult to verify that the vote actually went the correct way. It requires a lot of people in order to sway an election, and that sort of organization has a higher chance of being detected. The list of people who voted is public, so it's also possible to track down if they actually exist, and there's the risk that a impersonator will try to impersonate someone who actually voted.
If it's important to know who someone is, then it can sometimes be solve by using a chain of trust. For example, the bank might require that a current account holder in good standing be willing to vouch for me, even if I have no id. Or, I might deposit a lot of money but have limited abilities until the bank trust me more.
Regarding the UK, see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polls_on_the_British_n... .
If you get stopped in a vehicle, police may ask for your driving licence. If you don't have it you're issued a "producer" which requires you to produce your licence at a police station within 7 days. This only applies to traffic stops.
In traffic stops or getting booked for speeding I've just taken driving licence and insurance to a station on a producer.
If you're the driver of a car and police stop you ans ask for ID you commit an offence if you refuse to identify yourself.
Section 164:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/part/VII/crossh...
There's other powers that PCSOs have for people who've been engaged in anti-social behviour, and those powers are probably misused.
But otherwise there's no legal requirement to identify yourself to police. If they have enough to detain you then they can detain you to find out who you are. But that's not the same as just demanding ID from everyone.
Do you usually get frustrated at people who are trying to obtain information, or learn? If you are not write-only, you should have noticed that it has been already answered. Seems like to me that the only reason for your comment is to let out your frustration at someone who is trying to learn. Thank you.
Is it really so? Why would then police ask for an ID if anyone can refuse and get away with it?