Coming into law on the 16th of February, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 makes it an offence to take a photograph of a policeman.

Or of St Crispin.

Yes, any member of the Police Force or the Armed Forces won’t be able to have their photograph taken at a family birthday party if it’s deemed ‘likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism‘. That of course would include any way to identify the house of a member of a club with a membership card that allows you to carry a gun but still can’t get you in to JD Wetherspoon.

Think of it. You aren’t being accused of being a terrorist. Or of even daydreaming about doing something. The photograph only has to be “likely to be useful to a person…“. Any person.

It could cost you up to 10 years of not bending down to pick up the soap.

The British Journal of Photography are understandably running with the story but even before it comes into effect there are plenty of stories of abuse by the authorities on this theme. A journalist was also stopped, from my recollection, a couple of years ago trying to film a piece for the sadly defunct 18 Doughty Street due to the fact that the New Scotland Yard building was visible over his shoulder.

TheEye has had an airport policeman cheerfully confess to a friend that he was ‘randomly’ stopped for questioning because he was wearing a baseball cap. What sort of society are we sleepwalking into?

Originally noticed via OldHolborn so a hat-tip in that direction.