This is what the chairman of the Metropolitan police, Peter Smyth, told an interviewer on BBC Radio 4's iPM program. Speaking about the recent rash of clashes between photographers and the British police, he admitted that many new laws are passed without adequate training being given to the officers on the ground. The cops are therefore misinterpreting the laws and persecuting innocent people carrying out innocent activities.
The problem is magnified by the amount of community support officers in the force have. These police assistants are granted less power than the regular force, but, as with any security guard who lacks real power, they tend to be a little over zealous in order to prove their worth.
It is good to see that all of our public complaining is having some effect on the top brass at the Met; that's what democracy is about after all, and one of the reasons I bang on about these issues here on Gadget Lab. But it also shows that the British police have their priorities out of whack: Instead of spending money on better trained cops, investment finds its way into the easy options, like blanket CCTV coverage, which doesn't work anyway.
What to do until this is sorted out and carrying an SLR is no longer an act of terrorism? Smyth suggests that photographers ...
Terror Act: Police Attack Government Over Photography In Public [Amateur Photographer]
Photo [unusualimage/Flickr]
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