Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Photo of bus stop brings out the 'thought police'

A photographer was approached and photographed by men claiming to be police officers for taking a picture of a bus stop.

Mike Langridge, 56, was out for a walk with his camera when two men in dark civilian clothing claiming to be police officers began to walk around him and take pictures.

As the police have no knowledge of such an incident, they may have been pretending to be police officers.

He had been taking scenic photographs near Ravensden on April 9.

He had taken pictures of a cellnet mast and some power lines when two men walked slowly past him, nodding at him in acknowledgement.

As his eye settled on a attractively overgrown country bus stop, Mr Langridge noticed that the two men had produced a camera themselves and were aiming it at him.

Speaking to them, he learned that they claimed to be police officers 'on a training exercise for contingency planning'.

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After going on his way, Mr Langridge noted the officers following him in an unmarked white van.

Mr Langridge said: "I thought some paranoid local resident or busybody passerby had made a quick call to the cops about someone 'acting suspiciously' - taking photographs! - and they'd come out in double-quick time to see what's what."

"If proof were needed that we're now living in a society that is scared of its own shadow, then surely this was it.

"If we really have reached that point, thanks to all the nonsensical Government-sponsored hype about 'terrorism' then the terrorists have truly won." A police spokesman said: "There have been no exercises in Ravensden.

"We have searched the records of our 999 systems from 8am to 5pm on the day in question and can't find anything that appears to match this situation." - beds

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