I'm always a bit suspicious of forwarded mails like this. Have you seen
the full original mail? On what date was it sent?


The photography was for personal, enthusiast use. The orginal letter
was sent to the editor of Underground News in the last week or so and
forwarded to me, I omitted personal names for obvious reasons.

I know someone who had a similar experience post-7/7 on Westminster
Bridge when covering the end of RMs on the 12 and 159 routes and was
stopped under some Terrorism Act proviso or other. Other bus
enthusiasts were told to stop taking photos in Parliament Square as it
was allegedly unnerving employees in adjacent government offices (too
bad they took a job in a UNESCO World Heritage Site which just might
attract a few camera-wielding tourists).

There are often unusual police vehicles parked around 55 Bdy and NSY
and I've taken the odd photo if I'd had a camera on me. On two
occasions I've been questioned, one time post-7/7 quite nastily by a
Met PC who asked if I "made a habit of photographing police vehicles?"
and "have you ever been stopped by the police" etc. I answered quite
truthfully that I didn't regularly take such photos, only if it was
unusual (I think it was a Control Unit or Marine Support Unit, forget
which). In the end the production of my staff pass plus inserting the
phrase "work next to the MICC" (the BTP control room in 55 Broadway)
into the conversation seemed to convince him and I was grudgingly
allowed to go - presumably identified as a nutcase rather than a
terrorist...

Incidentally the all-knowing BTP were caught unawares when North
Woolwich closed and demanded to know why so many people were milling
around Stratford station taking pictures. They also told one person to
remove a hi-vi vest, which I sort of agree with because you're either
working at that location and maybe qualified to go trackside or you're
not, and the wearing of such items implies an attempt to get away
things you wouldn't otherwise be able to do.

I guess the trick is to stay calm if stopped and complain later to MP,
BTP, PCA etc if need be (enthusiasts are presumably just another
minority now targeted for "Stop & Search" I suppose though doubt fit
the Islamic radical demographic?). At least if using digital
photography you can show them all the pix taken, which would presumably
be of suitably 'anorak' subjects - and never agree to delete the card's
contents on police advice, thus destroying the evidence of what you
were up to.

Too bad if you were making a study of just, say, substations and
bridges which would certainly look suspect, but maybe these aren't the
times for that sort of activity. We all know real terrorists would
probably use unobtrusive camera phones, or mix numerous 'touristy'
shots with the odd malicious one for surveillance purposes, should they
so wish; but I don't think we can expect the average plod on the beat,
let alone the usual calibre of LU staff nowadays, to be able to deduce
this.

On 28 Dec 2006 12:11:00 -0800, wrote:

Too bad if you were making a study of just, say, substations and
bridges which would certainly look suspect, but maybe these aren't the
times for that sort of activity.

It would by no means certainly look suspect. In fact it would only
look suspect if you were utterly paranoid. (The kind of person who
would think a man with brown skin carrying a rucksack looks suspect.)

In message om,
writes
I know someone who had a similar experience post-7/7 on Westminster
Bridge when covering the end of RMs on the 12 and 159 routes and was
stopped under some Terrorism Act proviso or other.

On thew last day of the RMs on the 14 and 22 a Met Patrol car pulled up
next to me near Putney bridge and the two officers inside asked in a
most polite, interested and jovial way why there were so many people
taking photographs. On being told they said that they thoguht it must
have been something like that and - still smiling - wished us well!
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk