Further to recent discussions about people taking an interest in buses,
trains, etc. getting "hassle" from the authorities, yesterday evening I
had an interesting, non-transport-related variant which I hope will
nonetheless be of interest to people on utl and ur.

I was getting ready for a guided walk for a private group around St.
Pancras and Camden, starting at Mornington Crescent tube. Whenever I
get the chance, I always walk the route shortly before actually "doing"
the tour, just to make sure nothing untoward has "developed" since my
last visit, refresh my memory and so on.

Now one of the places I go to is the former burial ground of Saint
Martin-in-the-Fields which is perversely just South of Camden Town tube,
between Camden Street and Baynham Street. The burial ground has long
since been converted to a (rather charming and well-used) local park and
was pretty busy when I walked through at about 4.30pm. As I was
leaving, I was stopped by two PCSOs and asked what my business there
was. Surprised at being asked, I was staggered when they said that
their grounds for suspicion was that I was carrying.......an umbrella!

Now it's a bit of a trademark of the walking tours I do that I always
have a brolly. Sometimes in crowded places or with biggish groups it
can be a good marker and it's become a bit of a "prop" I suppose. With
hindsight, I suppose it did look a bit odd in yesterday's lovely sunny
weather but I still can't really see that carrying it could in any way
be construed as "suspicious behaviour". One other rather baffling remark
from the female PCSO when I expressed surprise about this was that " a
lot of children use this park". Evidently carrying an umbrella in warm
weather and being in possession of a London Tourist Board Blue Badge
must be a sure sign of paedophilia. I would stress that they were
polite and happy to accept my given explanation of what I was doing
there; but I dread to think what they'd have made of me if I'd had a
camera!


An interesting footnote to this is that later on while waiting to meet
the group in front of Mornington Crescent tube, one Ken Livingstone
emerged and turned off towards Camden High Street and the statue of
Richard Cobden!
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

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

Ian Jelf gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying:

An interesting footnote to this is that later on while waiting to meet
the group in front of Mornington Crescent tube, one Ken Livingstone
emerged and turned off towards Camden High Street and the statue of
Richard Cobden!

He didn't take advantage of his new-found spare time to join the tour,
then?

On Thu, 8 May 2008 16:52:43 +0100 someone who may be Ian Jelf
wrote this:-

As I was
leaving, I was stopped by two PCSOs and asked what my business there
was.

It was none of their business.

Surprised at being asked, I was staggered when they said that
their grounds for suspicion was that I was carrying.......an umbrella!

It's good to see that there is so little crime in Camden these days
that these semi-police officers have time to waste in this way. They
must have been bored as they had no crime to deal with.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

On Thu, 8 May 2008 16:52:43 +0100, Ian Jelf
wrote:

I was stopped by two PCSOs

Ah, plasticops. I suppose they have to do something to justify their
salaries...

--
James Farrar
. @gmail.com

On Thu, 8 May 2008 16:52:43 +0100, Ian Jelf
wrote:

Further to recent discussions about people taking an interest in buses,
trains, etc. getting "hassle" from the authorities, yesterday evening I
had an interesting, non-transport-related variant which I hope will
nonetheless be of interest to people on utl and ur.

I was getting ready for a guided walk for a private group around St.
Pancras and Camden, starting at Mornington Crescent tube. Whenever I
get the chance, I always walk the route shortly before actually "doing"
the tour, just to make sure nothing untoward has "developed" since my
last visit, refresh my memory and so on.

Now one of the places I go to is the former burial ground of Saint
Martin-in-the-Fields which is perversely just South of Camden Town tube,
between Camden Street and Baynham Street. The burial ground has long
since been converted to a (rather charming and well-used) local park and
was pretty busy when I walked through at about 4.30pm. As I was
leaving, I was stopped by two PCSOs and asked what my business there
was.

Report them. This is ludicrous and pathetic "activity" on their part.
You were going about your lawful business. Did you give them a business
card with a link to your website - complete with photo of you with
brolley on the home page?

Write to Boris - he wants to employ another 440 of these idiots to
patrol the buses (god help us!). He needs to know how stupid these
people are and how their actions are doing nothing to create a "civil"
society.

Write to your MP citing the Austen Mitchell motion about this undue
harassment of photographers. If you have a Labour MP tell them you
won't vote for them unless this ridiculous behaviour is stopped by the
Home Secretary. I have written to my MP on exactly this issue and
saying this is sufficiently serious for my voting intentions to be
affected.

Alternatively next time this happens - as it surely will - you can pull
the cap off the brolley and fatally stab them with the poison tip and
then make good your escape ;-)
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Thu, 8 May 2008, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Thu, 8 May 2008 16:52:43 +0100, Ian Jelf
wrote:

Further to recent discussions about people taking an interest in buses,
trains, etc. getting "hassle" from the authorities, yesterday evening I
had an interesting, non-transport-related variant which I hope will
nonetheless be of interest to people on utl and ur.

Alternatively next time this happens - as it surely will - you can pull
the cap off the brolley and fatally stab them with the poison tip and
then make good your escape ;-)

Paul, it's absurd, insulting, and unhelpful to suggest that Ian has a
poison-tipped or otherwise lethal umbrella.

We all know it's an exploding blue badge he's got.

tom

--
Got a revolution behind my eyes - We got to get up and organise

On Thu, 8 May 2008, Ian Jelf wrote:

As I was leaving, I was stopped by two PCSOs and asked what my business
there was. Surprised at being asked, I was staggered when they said
that their grounds for suspicion was that I was carrying.......an
umbrella!

Well, the events in Stockwell did establish that the police are quite
touchy when it comes to unseasonable gear.

Perhaps you should equip yourself with a parasol instead?

Now it's a bit of a trademark of the walking tours I do that I always
have a brolly. Sometimes in crowded places or with biggish groups it
can be a good marker and it's become a bit of a "prop" I suppose.

I was in Madrid with some friends at the weekend. One of them took hold of
the guidebook and proceeded to lead us on a tour round the city, whether
we liked it or not. He was quickly dubbed 'umbrella man'.

An interesting footnote to this is that later on while waiting to meet
the group in front of Mornington Crescent tube, one Ken Livingstone
emerged and turned off towards Camden High Street and the statue of
Richard Cobden!

Ah, maybe it was him they were after?

tom

--
Got a revolution behind my eyes - We got to get up and organise

Ian Jelf wrote:
Further to recent discussions about people taking an interest in buses,
trains, etc. getting "hassle" from the authorities, yesterday evening I
had an interesting, non-transport-related variant which I hope will
nonetheless be of interest to people on utl and ur.

I was getting ready for a guided walk for a private group around St.
Pancras and Camden, starting at Mornington Crescent tube. Whenever I
get the chance, I always walk the route shortly before actually "doing"
the tour, just to make sure nothing untoward has "developed" since my
last visit, refresh my memory and so on.

Now one of the places I go to is the former burial ground of Saint
Martin-in-the-Fields which is perversely just South of Camden Town tube,
between Camden Street and Baynham Street. The burial ground has long
since been converted to a (rather charming and well-used) local park and
was pretty busy when I walked through at about 4.30pm. As I was
leaving, I was stopped by two PCSOs and asked what my business there
was. Surprised at being asked, I was staggered when they said that
their grounds for suspicion was that I was carrying.......an umbrella!

You should have answered in Bulgarian :-)

During my brief career shepherding foreign students I went in for bright
bow ties, so stragglers could ask people where the person in the silly
tie was.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On 8 May, 16:52, Ian Jelf wrote:

One other rather baffling remark
from the female PCSO when I expressed surprise about this was that " a
lot of children use this park". Evidently carrying an umbrella in warm
weather and being in possession of a London Tourist Board Blue Badge
must be a sure sign of paedophilia.

"Think of the children"

It's the great unanswerable. Well, one of them, alongside "health and
safety".

Ian

On Thu, 8 May 2008 18:11:48 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

On Thu, 8 May 2008, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Thu, 8 May 2008 16:52:43 +0100, Ian Jelf
wrote:

Further to recent discussions about people taking an interest in buses,
trains, etc. getting "hassle" from the authorities, yesterday evening I
had an interesting, non-transport-related variant which I hope will
nonetheless be of interest to people on utl and ur.

Alternatively next time this happens - as it surely will - you can pull
the cap off the brolley and fatally stab them with the poison tip and
then make good your escape ;-)

Paul, it's absurd, insulting, and unhelpful to suggest that Ian has a
poison-tipped or otherwise lethal umbrella.

We all know it's an exploding blue badge he's got.

I do apologise for making such a fundamental error. Despite meeting him
twice I have yet to see the exploding blue badge - perhaps I am blessed?
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!