Photographers Hassled in the UK, One Explanation

[dazedgonebye]

British cops stop and hassle thousands to "balance racial statistics"

 

[davies24]

Yep. Been there and got that particular T-shirt.

When I asked if I was being stopped to balance the racial statistics got a very frosty response from PC plod.

 

[Michael Markey]

It`s not just the PC brigade. Went out to North Pier,Blackpool,today. No photography allowed.Took no notice and wasn`t stopped but this attitude seems to pervade every situation in the UK at the moment. Still what do you expect with this shower.Easy target.

 

[SuitePhoto]

To be honest, I don't have a lot of sympathy. The people of the UK have allowed their civil liberties to be slowly taken away with new laws moving the country closer and closer to socialism. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Trius]

Eventually those memes will self destruct.

 

[Harlee]

Strange, I returned from the UK last Saturday night [6/13] and took a whole slew of pictures including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the London Eye, Bobbies on horseback, with their permission, St. James Park, etc. and not once was I approached about not taking pictures. Perhaps I just have a honest, non-threatening face!!!

 

[brainwood]

It`s not just the PC brigade. Went out to North Pier,Blackpool,today. No photography allowed.

This is a seperate issue to the police's overjealous use of anti terrorism legislation. Many privately owned sites have recently adopted a no photography policy but I feel this is really aimed at commercial use of any images. It is increasingly seen as a money making opportunity by shockingly public spirited organisations such as the National Trust. This UK body set up to safe guard OUR heritage has realised that copyright for images of its properties is big business and has attempted to ban photography on its sites. Whilst a workable policy inside its properties is easy to enforce it fell down when they tried to apply it to 'any shots taken on NT property , ie exteriors of the buildings. Here the dividing line between taken on private property and from a public place, which is completely 'legal' becomes very blurred.

In general I find as RF photographer ( many people write me off as a nut case because of the ancient camera) I have not been challenged even when shooting where permission should really have been sort.

The Police may have there own reasons for there use of stop and search through anti terrorism but I am not convinced that the persecution of photographers is high amoung there priorties (except perhaps amoung the ranks of ill informed PSCO's)

...is this just conspiracy theory ???

 

[kully]

Yep. Been there and got that particular T-shirt.

When I asked if I was being stopped to balance the racial statistics got a very frosty response from PC plod.

I wonder why....

 

[kully]

That article is confused and mixes up two different issues. The first is the "stop and search" powers of the Police and the second is the Police not knowing the law with regard to photography.

I don't like being harrassed by the Police but then I remember a couple of weeks ago in London and a bloke with a SLR and flash blinding people (and me) doing his "street photography". I would have been very glad if a Policeman would have taken his annoying behind into a van and given him a good searching 🙂

 

[Larky]

I've decided I want to be stopped and searched, they'll find nothing, I'll sue for assault and buy the M8. 🙂

 

[Ronald M]

Well it happened to me four years ago and to a person I was with maybe 6 years ago. This is two different Chicago Ill suburbs and the police admitted why it was done at the time.