I’M writing to discuss the issues raised by a West Yorkshire Police advert (thousands of people take photos every day. What if one of them seems odd?).
I feel this advertisement is extremely irresponsible and will only raise the level of paranoia within our communities.
Sadly, considering the previous record of our police, I would not like to leave decisions on whom to investigate to “experienced officers”; the very same officers who did not have the budget to investigate known terrorist sympathisers, with tragic results.
Surely there are better ways to spend police funding than on ineffective adverts?
As a keen photographer I have noticed that taking pictures in the public realm has become increasingly problematic over the last few years.
Many of my fellow photographers have been stopped, questioned or harassed just for taking photos in a public place. Campaigns such as this will only make matters worse.
This is a direct threat to one of the most accessible and creative art forms popular with so many people of all backgrounds in the UK today.
This issue has been acknowledged in an Early Day Motion submitted to Parliament by Austin Mitchell MP (and 17 others) this week.
More details about this can be found at http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=35375&SESSION=891
Can I encourage any photographers out there – or other people who care about our civil rights and freedoms – to contact their MP to ask them to support this Early Day Motion.
Nuala Reilly
Cowlersley
