London police target photographers

London's Metropolitan Police have created this poster, which notes that "terrorists use surveillance to help plan attacks," but fails to mention that regular people love to shoot photos too.

(Credit: London Metropolitan Police)

Last month London's Metropolitan Police started a five week campaign of what they are calling "counter-terrorism advertising," which includes a poster that implores people to report photographers to the police if they "seem odd." This is very troubling to me, since I consider myself to be quite odd and my job entails shooting photos on a daily basis. Luckily, I don't live in London, but here in New York City we have a similar campaign that's been going on for more than five years and while they haven't gone as far as using posters to alienate photographers, the city's police do regularly harass photographers.

In fact, a couple of weeks ago, while out shooting with a couple of friends I was told by a police officer that I am not allowed to take a photo of a set of toll booths in Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip of Manhattan. They have even gone as far as placing no-photography signs on many structures, including those toll booths and most of the cities bridges, though I know of no law prohibiting such photography. Essentially, that makes those signs illegal, since it amounts to the city's attempt to infringe upon my rights as a citizen.

As you might imagine, London's recent campaign has ruffled quite a few feathers. I found out about it on the blog of a San Francisco photographer named Thomas Hawk and his post links to a post on BoingBoing and another on the blog of a UK-based photographer named Nick Potter. In response to their post, BoingBoing received a number of variations on the posters created by their readers.

While London's program has been called out by the photographic community, it also includes a poster asking Londoners to report "suspicious" people who have multiple cell phones and any house that "has unusual activity." While I recognize the value of tipsters helping the police combat crime, London's posters discriminate against large groups of people, reinforce bad stereotypes about photographers, and ironically chip away at the freedoms of that country's citizens in the name of fighting terrorists who President George W. Bush likes to say "hate our freedom."

[jdw242]

london police idiocy

ok, this is stupid. It's like giving clowns uzis.

This is the guide to making the playing field even: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/11/politics.hitechcrime

[TonyGore]

Multiple cell phones now a crime?

This is assinine - for many years I have managed with just one mobile phone. However, I am the IT manager part time for another company, and they recently did a deal which gave cell phones to all staff as they are programmed up as internal extensions with no call charges.

Now our own police see this as evidence of terrorist activity!

[fedtho]

Security madness - and it's here in Europe

I have nothing to add, as the article says all that needs to be said on this topic I wish was just a nightmare.

Not implying that any issue involving security and/or the freedom of speech is "easy", I still couldn't help thinking: this is the kind of stories we've been hearing about post 9/11 USA (again: I do *not* play down the trauma this has been for people in the Unites States, nor the *actual* security issues involved...)
Now, we have to deal with the security paranoia excesses here, in "old Europe" [http:// even if the UK still considers itself half european at best - which I enjoy, as I'm neither blind pro-Europe, nor a UK hater... always good to have someone protesting ;-) |http:// even if the UK still considers itself half european at best - which I enjoy, as I'm neither blind pro-Europe, nor a UK hater... always good to have someone protesting ;-) ]

No, really: reading about this is a big cold sweat to me.

[Gorifyny]

As a railfan, I am frequently in a position to fear restrictions when I want to make an image of my favorite subject. Though I personally have not been restricted, I have heard many tales of those who have. I was, however, enjoined from taking a photograph at a railroad station in London, England. But this was over thirty years ago! Not having been back since, I can only imagine how much more restrictive the situation is there now.

[nanstallon]

What I so despise about the police and the so-called 'security' industry is that they pick on easy targets. They push harmless train photographers around, but treat 'hard' looking males with respect.