Metropolitan Police photographer campaign

tim_walls · Mar 5, 2008

Apologies, if there's already a thread on this that I've missed, mods please merge. Also, if this would be more appropriate in a different forum, again, please move.

See below for the Metropolitan Police's latest advertising campaign:

http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/counter_terrorism/ct_camera_2008.pdf

Personally, I think it's a bloody disgrace and just another step in creating the "climate of fear" required for the police state to take hold; I'm writing to my MP, the head of the Met police, and the candidates for the London mayoral election to make clear my opinion on the matter. I'd be interested to know what other views people hold though.

(As an aside, I find the "let experienced officers decide what action to take" element particularly chilling. Lest we forget, these are the experienced officers who shot an innocent man in the head 7 times because he looked foreign, without a single person taking responsibility.)

Steve Smith · Mar 5, 2008

I saw it on another site. I particularly liked one of the comments:

"Even more fun, is that they're asking you to report people who are taking pictures of CCTV cameras.
If only they had some sort of device, perhaps an automated one, that could observe people remotely... perhaps an entire network of visual recording devices that would work like television, that could be monitored by a government employee at a central location, all hooked up to a special circuit, a private one, "closed" if you will..."

Steve.

colrehogan · Mar 5, 2008

See the Are you a bootlickin' photographer thread for a link to something similar.

MP_Wayne · Mar 5, 2008

tim_walls said:
See below for the Metropolitan Police's latest advertising campaign:

http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/counter_terrorism/ct_camera_2008.pdf

Personally, I think it's a bloody disgrace and just another step in creating the "climate of fear" required for the police state to take hold.

Thanks for the insight into the next potential phase of the ongoing war on photographers. Our city, Calgary, is just now installing the first 20 public surveillance CCTV camera, so we locals may need to be careful we are not photographing those cameras.

The only saving grace (if there is one possible in this story) is that the advert uses a point and shoot camera (instead of an SLR or a View Camera). It is a small comfort, but perhaps now we "alternative" users will have more "company" in the eyes of the authorities.

BradS · Mar 5, 2008

It's 1984 all over again.

Gary Holliday · Mar 5, 2008

As long as you can fully demontrate that your notes are Zone system related, taking pictures of cameras should be fine.

TheFlyingCamera · Mar 5, 2008

1984 plus Farenheit 451. Double-plus ungood, bring on the firemen!

RoNinHeart · Mar 5, 2008

Gary Holliday said:
As long as you can fully demontrate that your notes are Zone system related, taking pictures of cameras should be fine.

Mention of the Zone System might well be interpreted as a Terrorist Cell organizing system. Be sure to have a Zone System book in your bag. One by Ansel Adams would be good, he has lots of calendars out.

Dave Miller · Mar 5, 2008

We have to remember that the police are just ordinary people trained to do a specific job. I work in an unrelated industry with ordinary people trained in their rolls, and some of the decisions they make are also quite odd.

pentaxuser · Mar 5, 2008

Gary Holliday said:
As long as you can fully demontrate that your notes are Zone system related, taking pictures of cameras should be fine.

Imagine the scenario: London is once again on high alert and two people are overheard on the underground. One says to the other. "I've worked it all out and today I should be able to nail zone three(III), five(V) and eight(VIII). All the others on the tube cannot see the roman numerals and think the references to someone called AA and leaders confirm their suspicions.

pentaxuser

okto · Mar 5, 2008

We aren't upset at beat cops. We're upset at the Met's totalitarianist fearmongering populace-despising leaders and PR execs, and by association Britain's out-of-touch, heads-in-their-asses, xenophobic government.

Gary Holliday · Mar 5, 2008

pentaxuser said:
Imagine the scenario: London is once again on high alert and two people are overheard on the underground. One says to the other. "I've worked it all out and today I should be able to nail zone three(III), five(V) and eight(VIII). All the others on the tube cannot see the roman numerals and think the references to someone called AA and leaders confirm their suspicions.

pentaxuser

Placing in Zone III. Need a tripod to keep things steady...taking cover under the dark cloth. The shot's in the bag. Rush home to see the results.

That could never be misinterpreted!

MP_Wayne · Mar 5, 2008

Certainly, I suspect we would applaud the past efforts to get the populace to watch for suspicious packages (especially during the IRA bombing period). And certainly, as a past target for terrorist attacks, London has an obligation to be vigilant.

However, this advertisement is almost laughable if it were not so tragic that freedom has been ground down a bit further under the guise and premise of fear. Given the millions of camera toting tourists that flock to London every year, clutching cameras like that pictured in the flyer, the Metropolitan Police may find themselves inundated with calls of so-called "suspicious" activity. Given the massive number of CCTVs already deployed in London, the only potential means to get meaningful intel about a given camera is to include it in a wide angle shot. Given that most tourists take that type of photograph with their point-and-shoots, and are likely to inadvertantly include a security camera in the shot, the Met Police should be swamped in no time.

One will hope that someone will see the folly in all of this soon and make appropriate corrections. This is simply trying to kill a fly with a sledgehammer (and a poorly aimed one at that).

Gary Holliday · Mar 5, 2008

okto said:
We aren't upset at beat cops. We're upset at the Met's totalitarianist fearmongering populace-despising leaders and PR execs, and by association Britain's out-of-touch, heads-in-their-asses, xenophobic government.

Pity there was no overaction in my part of the UK. 40 years of terrorism and all we got was a confidential telephone number to ring.

c6h6o3 · Mar 5, 2008

TheFlyingCamera said:
1984 plus Farenheit 451. Double-plus ungood, bring on the firemen!

It's plusgood, Scott. This measure will expose all manner of thought crimes. More guidance can be found at the Students for an Orwellian Society website.

okto · Mar 5, 2008

Digg this story here and here.

tim_walls · Mar 5, 2008

Well, I for one am going to keep the phone number handy, and will call them whenever I see someone with a camera.

According to one of the other ads, owning two mobile phones is also a dead giveaway. So I'll be sure to report all the businessmen on the train to London, too.

Dave Miller · Mar 5, 2008

tim_walls said:
snip

According to one of the other ads, owning two mobile phones is also a dead giveaway. So I'll be sure to report all the businessmen on the train to London, too.

That's me done for then; I carry three. Don't ask why

tim_walls · Mar 5, 2008

Me too - work, personal and crackberry. I may as well book a ticket to Gitmo - probably safer than letting the 'experts' decide what action to take.

Andy K · Mar 5, 2008

tim_walls said:
I'm writing to my MP, the head of the Met police, and the candidates for the London mayoral election to make clear my opinion on the matter. I'd be interested to know what other views people hold though.

Writing to your MP will be a waste of time, given the slap in the face to democracy and the British electorate delivered by our elected representatives today.

The only way to combat this is to get as many photographers out as possible making photographs in public places. And phone in reports EVERY time you see someone take a photo, with digis, film cameras and particularly phone cameras. Overload the bastards with their own crap.

sausage100uk · Mar 5, 2008

did they mention carrying a rucksack????

pentaxuser · Mar 5, 2008

Gary I was being a little whimsical but in a climate of fear and paranoia and should such a conversation take place, I wonder how many would listen to the full conversation and analyse before reacting.

Dave. In your case just as well that Walther, Luger and Browning never made cameras then!

pentaxuser

sausage100uk · Mar 5, 2008

Fair play to the trigger guys they were acting on info they thought to be kosher. being in a job that requires spit second life saving decisions i can empathise with them for getting it wrong, what i am suprised by is the support they have recieved from their firm..i thought they would drop them like a poo covered hot potato.

jpeets · Mar 5, 2008

I agree that this ad is worrisome, but lets get real - security measures are not paranoia, or manifestations of Big Brother, etc. etc. This is simply a poorly thought out aspect of a very necessary campaign to combat terrorism.

From some of the comments, you'd think that 9/11, London, Madrid, etc. etc. didn't happen. There isn't a major western country that hasn't either been attacked or subject of an apprehended plot. It seems hardly a week goes by without some scheme being revealed. Even Canada has several would be martyrs behind bars, thanks to security efforts.

We need to let the government know when they cross the line, but let's not forget - there are crazies out there who want to kill and maim. It is a difficult thing to balance rights and freedoms with security.

tim_walls · Mar 5, 2008

As much as I am gratified that other people have now discovered that terrorism isn't so great, I somewhat object to being lectured on a threat some of us have had to put up with for most of our lives as if it were something new. What is new is our own governments giving in to that threat by using it to oppress us all.

Metropolitan Police photographer campaign

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