Bob Quick and the photographer

April 9, 2009 | Filed Under Photography | Leave a Comment 

So let me get this correct Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick has resigned because a photographer photographed Top Secret documents he was carrying in a public place and I just hear David Blunkett on the radio blathering on about that “we might have to look at the laws on photography”.

Well David it may have escaped your notice that we are already sleepwalking our way towards a “police state”. This government has already introduced legislation to try and stop photographers taking photos of the police under certain circumstances, they have already stopped people protesting outside the Houses of Parliament, they have already allowed the police to act as pseudo paramilitaries in balaclavas who seem to hit people (walking away) at demonstrations with their batons.

Meanwhile the top man dealing with anti terrorism hasn’t even got the common sense to put the documents in sealed bag. Presumeably this is a breach of the Official Secrets Act? Should he not face prosecution? So far I’ve not heard mention of this. So David Blunkett what we need is less restrictions on photographers not more. Without this photographer we wouldn’t know that our highly paid policemen were not able to comply with basic security procedures nor have the common sense to put secret documents in Tesco bag to hide them from prying eyes.

Please don’t tell me he is going to walk away with a huge pension as well after such a dereliction of duty.