Baptist pastor Cameron’s controversial arrest in Glasgow
Police Scotland have been ordered to pay thousands of pounds in damages to a Cumnock Baptist Church minister, Angus Cameron, who was arrested and detained in Glasgow in 2022. Cameron was arrested in connection with a complaint about homophobic language, but he vigorously denied the accusation.
He was searched in public, handcuffed and informed of his arrest for public order offenses with homophobic aggregation. He was then detained in a van for more than an hour before being released. Although he was informed he would not be prosecuted, a report of a non-criminal hate incident was recorded in his name in the police database.
Cameron was awarded £5,500 ($7,000) in damages for his unlawful detention, as well as £9,400 ($12,000) in legal costs, but he chose to donate the entire sum to the Christian Institute. The organization noted that recording the non-criminal hate incident report harmed Cameron’s reputation in police records.
The Institute’s deputy director of public affairs, Simon Calvert, welcomed the settlement and said Cameron’s preaching did not target individuals, did not use offensive language and did not involve criminality. He also stressed that the Christian Institute was ready to assist Police Scotland in its review of policy regarding the recording of non-criminal hate incidents.
Police Scotland recently announced it was reviewing its policy on recording non-criminal hate incidents, following the revelation that more than 3,800 such incidents were recorded in a single year – more than the number of real hate crimes.
Simon Calvert welcomed the review and said the Christian Institute hoped to contribute constructively to this process. He also said the organization was ready to help police in the tension-prone area and serve as a bridge between police and street preachers.
