Photography and the terrorism law.
 

I thought I would just tell you about a little happening I had today on Liverpool Lime Street station.

Whilst waiting for my train home tonight at around 18.40, which to no ones surprise was cancelled, I decided to take some pictures of trains waiting at the platforms. I had taken about a dozen pictures when I was approached by two security men who asked what I was doing. I told them I was just taking pictures of trains approaching the station. I was told to stop straight away and if I refused I could be arrested under the prevention of terrorism act. I was also told that I could be a suspected terrorist. I was also asked if I had a ticket, which I showed to them. They then said Network Rail don't allow photography on any of their property. What annoyed me most was the fact that they suspected me of being a terrorist and the fact that I was threatened with 28 days detention under the prevention of terrorism act for doing nothing more than following my hobby.

The moral of this story is that you now have to think hard about what you are going to photograph and where you are taking your pictures. Perhaps we are looking at a ban of taking photos in public places.

So just remember big brother and big business are watching you.

Alan

Sobering isn't it? I read the police would like to bring in detention for as ''long as it takes.'' No charge, no trial, just held for an indefinite period until the powers that be see fit to release you with no appeal. That is scary! Terrorism is serious but can be used to bring in a whole raft of measures that would not normally have a chance of becoming law so who knows what could happen to photography in public places. Funny thing is when something does happen they want any pictures that may have been taken!

We need to remember that the United Kingdom following recent events is on high alert for terrorist activity. We need to comply at all times with these requests however petty they may seem at the time for the sake of our hobbies and more importantly our safety.

Once the national state of alert is reduced then these requests will reduce.

Many years ago I noticed on Horley station platform (which is the next stop to Gatwick) a sign saying photography in the station was not permitted. That what comes of privatising the Railways.

Shopping Centres are taking the same attitude as it is not public land.

We are already on the threshold of the police abusing this power. If they can't nick you for something proper they will nick you because they suspect your a terrorist without any real reason to suspect.

If you believe that your believe anything. This country has become too much of a police state for my liking and it has little to do with terrorism.

I certainly hope so.

I sympathise with Stephens point of view, but we have seen far too many cases of the prevention of terrorism act being used to harass someone. The old man who was ejected from the Labour Party conference when he heckled a speaker is a prime example. And at the same conference an MP (Austin Mitchell?) had his camera taken from him by a police officer, and the images wiped, under the same act. Then there was the case of an Anglo Asian man arrested for taking happy snaps. The police later apologised.

In any case I am not convinced a terrorist would take pictures so openly. Using a camera in a mobile phone while pretending to make a call would be so easy to do.

On balance I would say that it was harassment. To politely ask someone to stop taking pictures because it is not allowed on the property is fine IMO. But to threaten someone with the prevention of terrorism act is petty harassment. But to be fair, they might be edgy given that there have been so many near misses in recent weeks, and a few years ago many people died in multiple explosions. I guess I would choose minor harassment rather than sleepy security staff.

The real problem IMO is that there are said to be thousands of Muslim extremists with violent intentions currently at large in this country and the security services do not have the resources to monitor them all. I suspect they do not even have enough Arabic and Urdu speakers to monitor calls. And of course for many years we allowed no end of nutty mad men to congregate and preach hatred throughout London and elsewhere. We knew they were violent but assumed the violence was directed overseas.

Leif do they take it that we are a country of terrorists or is it a question of forcing your will on all your subjects. What next town centres or just to be bloody minded, banning the use of cameras. don't forget they don't have to be in an airport to shoot down a plane. Ihave had it happen to me and it wasn't pleasant, all I am doing is passing on a warning. Please note there were no signs on the station saying "no cameras to be used in the station."

Alan

Stephen I was not compromising peoples safety.

Alan

It's a sad reality that it's the law abiding citizen who suffers additional restrictions because of the crazed behavior of the terrorists. I would have thought that the incident at least rates a polite request to the CEO of the Company concerned to remind them that their public image might just be improved a notch if they posted prominent no photography signs. Saves embarrassment for the image maker and makes the security personnel's job a shade easier - might even curb their apparent zeal to threaten so many arrests. It's a big ask to abide by laws that you have no way of knowing anything about!