Two Austrian tourists visiting London were stopped by community officers and allegedly instructed to delete pictures they’d been taking. They were public transport enthusiasts and had been taking pictures of buses, bus stations and the like. Klaus Matzka wrote to The Guardian newspaper to recount his experience and said he wouldn’t be returning in a hurry. I’ve heard a number of these kinds of stories now and am still in two minds as to whether this is a bit of an over-reaction.
What do you think? Will our tourist industry be better or worse for it if we adopt a zero tolerance policy? Post a blog comment to let us have your thoughts.
See this video for more details about the story:
3 Comments
I’m guessing there is cctv footage of them being stopped and would show if the items were reviewed and deleted on the spot.
The Police have no right to MAKE their own Law just enforce those passed by government. There is no law in Britain prohibiting taking photos of buses.
Sounds like a bit of a misunderstanding, though photos of police officers are no longer allowed I believe. I don’t think stopping anyone taking photographs is going to achieve anything though, If anyone really needs to get a photograph, they will. Just look what the photographs the paparazzi get.