'Authority' paranoia over photography in London - 369 sec An interesting short film about the legality of taking photographs on the streets in the UK. There's a nice interaction between the photographer and a couple of Police Community Support Officers in Central London.
For those who are unfimilar with CSO's, these are not Police Officers, though they are uniformed personnel working with the police in England and Wales. Their function it seems is:
'...to provide a visible and reassuring presence on the streets and tackling the menace of anti-social behaviour.'
You can draw your own conclusions on that!
NB The bit about having to ask for permission before taking photographs in Railway Stations is somewhat misleading as you don't have to have prior permission - not at the moment anyway
Link to a letter written by Home Office Minister Tony McNaulty confirming that there are no legal restrictions on taking photographs in public places:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asisawit/2473437441/
Here's a link to a recent Guardian article about terrorist not bothering to photograph their 'targets'.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/05/news.terrorism Auteur : urbanimage Tags:PhotographyLondonCivilLibertiesWaronTerrorCommunitySupportOfficersMetropolitanPoliceOxfordStreet
