When I first saw this poster on the EPUK web site I thought it was some sort of joke, a comment on the apparent desire of a few people in power to increase the level of suspicion in what has become known as the "climate of fear". But I don't think that it is a joke. It seems that this is an actual poster used by the Metropolitan Police. If it wasn't so serious it would be laughable.

Firstly, how is the responsible citizen supposed to decide if a photographer looks "odd"? The poster fails to offer a description or definition. I know quite a few photographers and believe me, if there's one thing we could accurately be described as, it's looking "odd". We're often nerdy types with spectacles and woolly hats and, most suspicious of all, we carry large rucksacks around. So should we prepare to be swooped upon by anti-terrorist forces when we lift a camera to our eye in London these days? Perhaps so.

There's the obvious Orwellian parallel and it's a comparison that's been invoked so often recently that I hope it's not losing impact because it's a valid one. I can't remember who said this on Question Time recently but it's a worryingly accurate observation: "George Orwell's '1984' was written as a warning, not an aspiration".

So I took a look at the Metropolitan Police web site and in particular the page about anti-terrorism, it makes for frightening reading. Examples of "suspicious activity" are listed and here are just three of the things that alert citizens are being asked to report. I quote:

* Mobile phone – Terrorists need communication. Anonymous, pay-as-you-go and stolen mobiles are typical. Have you seen someone with large quantities of mobile phones? Has it made you suspicious?
* Suitcase – Terrorists need to travel. Meetings training and planning can take place anywhere. Do you know someone who travels but is vague about where they are going?
* Padlock – Terrorists need storage. Lock-ups, garages and sheds can all be used by terrorists to store equipment. Are you suspicious of anyone renting a commercial property?"

I realise with some trepidation that not only do I have a garage with a padlock but that I also own a suitcase and am frequently vague about where I'm going. Sometimes that's because I don't know but increasingly it's because I've forgotten. I think it's my age. What was I saying? Oh yes! Luckily, my phone is on a contract, which is a blessing because with a pay-as-you-go mobile phone I'd have hit the triple-whammy and be on my way for interrogation in a windowless room beneath a swinging light bulb. Having said that, I do also possess a passport and credit cards, two more things that the Metropolitan Police would have us view the owners of with suspicion.

Seriously, this stuff is ridiculous and perhaps it's just too easy to point fun at but there's a precedent being set here that we should at least be aware of. Increasing the level of suspicion in our society is surely not the way forward. The product of such behaviour can only be a tendency towards mistrust and further breakdown in the relationships between different sections of our community. I hope I'm not being too simplistic when I wonder if that isn't exactly part of what terrorists aim for?

I've gone on a small rant here, which I hadn't set out to do and clearly there's another side to the argument but it does worry me that the police force are asking people to look at me with suspicion when I do my job. I'm a photographer. It's a worthwhile job that serves the community and, knowing that I use my powers for good, I resent people being asked to look at me suspiciously because I'm carrying a camera. If my ethnic origin were Asian or African I might worry even more about being seen out with a camera in London. Is the kind of society where that's the case really one that we'd be proud of creating?

For the sake of a little balance (not a lot, admittedly) I have been stopped by plain-clothed police in London when I've been working and they were polite and didn't interfere with what I was doing. That's my only personal experience and I should report that. However, at the risk of being terribly predictable, here's the well known Benjamin Franklin quote that I think should be repeated every time we see evidence of a ratcheting up of the "climate of fear" in which we are being asked to live:

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither"

PS - having written this "rant" I did a bit of Googling and there's a gaggle of similar blog posts on the web so my apologies for the lack of originality but I feel better for having ranted ;o)

PPS - I wonder what the correct collective noun for "blogs" is? A "boggle" of blogs? A "wibble" of blogs? Answers on a postcard please.

Tags: epuk

If you're looking for a slightly cynical and tongue-in-cheek, yet often worryingly incisive, review of the Commercial Photography year in 2007, then the EPUK Golden Cameraphone Awards are for you.

Tags: epuk, photography