TD backs ban on picture phones

A Fianna Fáil TD has supported a call for a blanket ban on photo-taking mobile phones in leisure centres in order to stop paedophiles taking covert pictures of children.

Leisure centres in Northern Ireland are to ban the phones because they fear children may be targeted. In Coleraine, a blanket ban is to be introduced at all swimming pools and changing areas.

The move by Coleraine Borough Council was last night welcomed by Mr Seán Fleming TD of Fianna Fáil. He said in the wrong hands, camera phones could be used as "a sick tool".

However, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) said the ban would do nothing to address the wider issue of child pornography.

Many gymnasiums have already banned the phones in the Republic in order to protect patrons' privacy.

The ISPCC's director of services, Ms Grace Kelly, said any ban on the phones could be fraught with difficulty."If a child won a swimming competition could a parent not take a picture of the joyous moment, for example?" she asked.

The new regulations in the North will come into effect next month as part of strict new child protection policies. The ban follows a UK-wide directive by the Institute of Recreation Management on the issue.

Mr Fleming said while some centres in the Republic had already introduced a voluntary ban, it needed to be extended on a compulsory basis nationwide.

Mr Jim Curry, director of leisure services at Coleraine Borough Council, said the ban "is about young people finding themselves in isolated situations and the dangers that poses".

The Coleraine council decided to ban the phones from the town's leisure centre, Kilrea sports hall, and the Waterworld complex in Portrush, Co Antrim, which attract thousands of children.

Additional reporting - PA