Here in the U.K. the situation is very similar - and completely baffling.
Regular reports appear in the papers of Police or Police
Community Support Officers (PCSOs) harassing photographers under the name of "security".
However in all the major terrorist acts (as far as anyone knows) there has
been no evidence of the terrorists taking photographs in preparing their
murderous activities...
On 12 August my girl-friend and I went to the Olympic Venue at
Stratford. We chatted to armed police, I took photographs of her with
them, indeed everywhere their colleagues and minor security officers
(PCSOs) were talking and smiling to visitors and taking and being
photographed with them.
The next day we took my grandson and granddaughter to the same venue and
exactly the same thing happened. I've sent the resulting image to the
gallery.
The resulting atmosphere were was warm, friendly, happy - and we all
felt secure, not threatened. If the same atmosphere prevailed as a norm
everywhere, the general public would be far more cooperative, and the
net gain to all enormous. And security would enhanced, not reduced.
Howard
