This is "my Opinion website", not the "Official Website" of any police organization of any nation. (& Gidday Reg Hollis ;-)
Police BIZ is to enforce laws, (perhaps) whether or not they agree with them, and (perhaps) whether or not they are right. Police are armed and dangerous, and need to make judgement calls. They are not always right. They should NOT always be obeyed, though it is personally risky not to, It is a THOUGHTFUL human's responsibility to question all "iffy" orders given to them, either as an ordinary person, or a police officer. Suppressing VIOLENCE is one thing, suppressing a non-violent freedom is entirely another. Such an action IS a violence, and a MISUSE of power and position
Lord Oxford reporting, London, 5th July 2008
& Sydney, Australia
6th June 2008 ... my first day back in England since emigrating to Australia in 1969 - except for a short stay in 1974, and I am shouted at, and threatned with ARREST for taking these pictures at the junction of Finchley road and North Circular Road, where traffic was stopped in all directions for the helicopter above between about 08:15 and 08:50.
I was safely behind police lines when I took this picture and a WPC popped up, and advanced towards me screaming at me to put my camera away. Thinking back on it, I should have screamed back "Mind your own business", but instead I put it away and made my way around to tyhe opposite side (the pavement behind the ambulance, 2 observers and the policeman with folded arms, which a zoom in shows to be looking at me in the above picture) where I again tried to take a picture of the parked helicopter with my small pocket camera. I observed others taking pictures with phone cameras.
a different PC (I think it was the folded arms one) shouted at me that "if I didn't put my camera away, He would arrest me for disturbing the peace" which I was not doing, but he was. DISGUSTING. I fumed and went a lot further away to get the takeoff picture below
I was advised not to put in an official complaint, and have done nothing about it (except, perhaps, fume a little!) but I believe BOTH these police officers should be warned to behave themselves and keep the peace - though I appreciate they may have have been under stress, that's no reason to take it out on an innocent bystander, nor to verbally intimidate or threaten me.
My FAILING to report such threats, intimidation, and misuse of power up to date (or of anyone else to) is not good. Police should ALWAYS remain as considerate and polite to bystanders as possible. I've not had any such trouble since, and police have been politely responsive to my cheerful greetings since, including, I believe, the WPC from GOLDERS GREEN POLICE station, who I think I recognized, and who I think recognized me a couple of weeks later (but did not apologize or explain)
HONEST police should not fear or hinder ANY "media reporter", "Photographer", or interested "Tourist" (unless they get in the way, or into danger, Neither of which I did. Police are PUBLIC SERVANTS, not PUBLIC MASTERS other than STRICTLY in a danger situation. Bad show for Day ONE, "Home" from Australia after nearly 40 years away.
If nobody complains or does anything about "small" wrongs, "wrongs" tend to grow, as Nazism did. My adopted motto is
"If It's To Be, It's Up to Me"
So when this website is back up, I will PEACEFULLY, and without threat, notify the Police and BBC of it.
If you have similarly been threatned or mistreated by police I will consider adding your report to here, if you feel unable to take it to the police complaints tribunal due to either fear of repercussions or disfavor or believe it would be ignored as too trivial contact me ... Webmaster@MetropolitanPolice.Biz
© 2008, Lord Oxford