Nicoleica Posted December 4, 2009 Share #1 Posted December 4, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I just saw this article on the BBC News website.BBC - Viewfinder: In the eyes of the law I thought that it may be of interest to others too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 4, 2009 Posted December 4, 2009 Hi Nicoleica, Take a look here An interesting article.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ericperlberg Posted December 5, 2009 Share #2 Posted December 5, 2009 Yes, this an annoying part of doing any kind of "street" photography in Britain. I've been written up under the Terrorism Act 3 times (they give you a nice keep sake receipt). The first time was by officer Waller when I was taking a photo of a tattered English flag with a 35mm lens and far in the distance (close to a kilometre?) was a gas installation. The citation says: Subject seen to be photographing gas holder by location. Offered photos as digital camera for viewing. Satisfactory stop. The second time I was on the DLR heading out towards Stratford from central London and there was a huge (like mega huge) plume of black smoke in an otherwise totally blue sky (rare enough on its own). I took a photo. A woman came over to me and identified herself by flashing a badge as a member of a counter terrorist section of the police and took me off the train and we spent 30 mins as she took my details and radioed them to hq. She wrote: Stop and Account. Taking photos of Fire in London East End. Camera used Leica M8. Said taking photos for himself and satisfaction ID HSBC Credit Card The third time I took a photo of a battered sign by wormwood scrubs prison and a policeman came up to me, identified himself and called hq and we went through the whole thing. He started to write me up and turned to me and said, "do you really want this. I hate this job. I joined the force to fight crime and all I'm doing is wasting your time and mine on stupid stuff like this. I asked him to finish. Subject seen photographing sign by Wormwood Scrubs prison. I've been stopped other times without being written up. Once I was in Colindale in North London. I took a photo of a tree with a door that I thought was interesting. It was already drizzly and suddenly it started raining hard. I stood under a bus shelter when a car came down the street at rapid speed, spun around, pulled up in front of me and 5 guys came out and surrounded me and flashed their police badges and one started questioning me. Eventually they were convinced I was just some eccentric dude walking around making photos (I showed them my work on my iPhone). The very first photograph I took with my M6 was about 6 years ago I shot a teen woman talking to a woman in the park. My first "cartier-bresson" moment. I continued walking and noticed that the woman was following me. About 10 mins later 3 police cars, sirens screaming pulled up to me and I was surrounded by police. They id'd themselves and said a woman had phoned in an alert that a "pervert" was taking photos in the park of girls. It took 20 minutes of interview after which they apologised and said these days they're between a rock and a hard place given that the tabloid newspapers had such a campaign going against paedophiles that they really had to aggressively pursue all reports lest they be labelled "soft" on paedophilia. I tell you I was shaking from that experience and the strangest thing was how much the officer questioning me looked like Michael Schumacher. The thing is, it shouldn't matter because I'm not a terrorist and I"m not a paedophile but it has a chilling effect. You start to wonder who is watching behind you and what they might be thinking. I certainly won't even have my camera out in the presence of kids anymore. Some people become combative in this kind of situation but I hate confrontation. Not good. Recently I went out shooting with Rinko Kawauchi and we walked by a schoolyard in Stoke Newington. Rinko had her Rolleiflex in hand and a big Sony video camera hanging off her shoulder and she quietly studied the school yard and shot a number of kids through the wire fence. I said to her afterwards, you know Rinko, if I had done that (or any man) someone would have called the police. She was surprised but understood. There's definitely a sexist element in this. I wonder what the ratio of women to men stopped for photography under Section 44 of the terrorism act of 2000 is. It's a strange counterpoint to the general sexism in society against women. It helps me as a 60+ year old well off white man appreciate the feelings of black and asian youth who get stopped routinely for being, well, black or asian and young. The irony in this whole situation is that everybody and his uncle are carrying digital cameras these days. Photography has never been more prevalent nor cameras so omnipresent. There is no evidence that the massive fear campaign in the UK against photographers has done anything to stop terrorism. There is a good deal of evidence to show that the police are routinely alienating members of the public which itself is unhealthy as the police work relies on the good will of the citizens to be effective. In the UK there has been some moderation of this anti-photography activity. The latest Met (Metropolitan Police) directive issued a week or so ago says that officers should stop making so many Stop and Searches under the Terrorism Act as it proving to be unproductive and counterproductive as cited above. But the cops on the beat have been convinced that photographers might be suspicious so now unconvincing them is going to take awhile. It's unfortunate but while doctors and nurses and teachers generally have to view their charges as benevolent unless shown otherwise, the police by training have to be "looking for trouble". It's not an easy thing I'm sure to be looking for trouble and keeping a smile on your face and being a friendly bobby. The female officer who noted my Leica M8 also said the funniest thing to me. She asked my birthdate. I told her (I'm in my 60's). She said, Excuse Me? I said my birthdate again. She looked at me and said in a really genuinely impressed way... blimey mate, I wasn't expecting that, what ever you're doing, keep it up, you don't look anything near that old. I said, "you made my day" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandokan Posted December 5, 2009 Share #3 Posted December 5, 2009 Even more worrying is the poor command of English by the police officers! "Offered photos as digital camera for viewing. Satisfactory stop." "... and satisfaction ID HSBC Credit Card" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericperlberg Posted December 8, 2009 Share #4 Posted December 8, 2009 From today's Guardian: One of the country's leading architectural photographers was apprehended by City of London police under terrorism laws today while photographing the 300-year old spire of Sir Christopher Wren's Christ Church for a personal project. More here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyves Posted December 8, 2009 Share #5 Posted December 8, 2009 Unfortunately interesting Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machaon Posted December 8, 2009 Share #6 Posted December 8, 2009 UK is not an exception. In Brittany, I was taking pictures (with a M6) of my children on the beach and I have been summoned very unpolitely by a policeman, a CRS : republican security company, to explain what I was doing... Happily, my wife was near by and got me out of trouble. He did not dare to apologize Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosuna Posted December 8, 2009 Share #7 Posted December 8, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) It's a strange counterpoint to the general sexism in society against women. I strongly disagree. Men are discriminated. There is a growing asymmetry in rights, in favor of women. In many cases it is simple and pure abuse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan States Posted December 8, 2009 Share #8 Posted December 8, 2009 All part of the madness of the past 8 years. People who are willing to trade freedom for security from the bogeyman will end up loosing all our freedoms. Absurd. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricardojh Posted December 13, 2009 Share #9 Posted December 13, 2009 Hi folks- Looks like the policies are changing again in the UK. Check out this article: Police U-turn on photographers and anti-terror laws - Home News, UK - The Independent Ricardo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericperlberg Posted December 13, 2009 Share #10 Posted December 13, 2009 Hi folks-Looks like the policies are changing again in the UK. Check out this article: Police U-turn on photographers and anti-terror laws - Home News, UK - The Independent Ricardo Thanks for the link. Hopefully the news filters down to the officers on the street. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted December 13, 2009 Share #11 Posted December 13, 2009 I strongly disagree. Men are discriminated. There is a growing asymmetry in rights, in favor of women. In many cases it is simple and pure abuse. Jesus wept. You'll be telling me next that you dress up as batman and climb on the roof of Spain's equivalent of Buckingham Palace. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericperlberg Posted December 13, 2009 Share #12 Posted December 13, 2009 I strongly disagree. Men are discriminated. There is a growing asymmetry in rights, in favor of women. In many cases it is simple and pure abuse. Care to give some details of this growing asymmetry in rights which presumably favour women over men and are a simple and pure abuse? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericperlberg Posted December 16, 2009 Share #13 Posted December 16, 2009 A video from the Guardian (UK) of a young Italian art student being interviewed and then arrested and mistreated by Police and community support officers for photographing in a public place. Hopefully the brutal chap will come before the police review board before he sinks his knee into my back. Or yours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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