Friday
Last week the Metropolitan police spent shed loads of taxpayers money on pointless advertising launched a new counter-terrorism campaign.
Londoners are being urged to help stop terrorists in their tracks by reporting suspicious behaviour, in a new counter terrorism advertising campaign.The Metropolitan Police Service is asking people to trust their instincts and pass on information about any unusual activity or behaviour to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
And now for the visuals:
When I saw those for the first time, I honestly thought these were a joke. And lo and behold, it did not take long for them to become just that...
And of course the Lolcats version:
Long live the internetz.
"Thousands of people take photos every day. What if one of them seems odd"
A lot of my photographs are odd.
Can anyone tell me when the UK, and more specifically it's Police force, bacame a laughing stock?
Posted by Gareth at March 7, 2008 02:06 AM
LOL indeed! We cannot have wicked peeps stealing our buckets or our cheezburgers! Watch dem bak indeed!
Posted by Perry de Havilland at March 7, 2008 02:08 AM
This is really serious. You should also report any birds flying near sensitive areas.
Link courtesy of these guys.
Posted by Midwesterner at March 7, 2008 02:41 AM
My apologies for photographing vulnerable Gatso cameras and passing them on to those who use the "tyre and fire" form of dissent.
Posted by A Target at March 7, 2008 02:59 AM
"If you se someone suspicious wearing a police uniform"
99% of cops give the rest a bad name.
Posted by anonymous at March 7, 2008 03:22 AM
Once upon a time, in the land of socialist workers' self-management that has long since disintegrated in an economic collapse followed by a series of bloody wars, I used to laugh at traffic signs like this one(Link) that were all around the place, wherever various military, governmental, infrastructural, and other sorts of objects could be found nearby. These (intermittently enforced) bans on taking pictures were of course there to protect us against the never-sleeping enemy spies and saboteurs. Only a few years ago, I still considered such attitudes as just another example of socrealist paranoid silliness that I would never dream of seeing anywhere in the West -- and now I'm actually seeing U.K. government posters calling on citizens to report "suspicious" picture-taking in public places?! The world has indeed changed a lot in recent years...
Posted by Ivan at March 7, 2008 05:03 AM
The opportunities for causing chaos stemming from these posters are innumerable:
Who's up for phoning in lots of sightings of 'suspicious' police officers?
How much would it cost to implement a copycat campaign, with similar posters but even more absurd messages?
How about organising an army of people to go out an act suspiciously whilst taking pictures of 'suspicious' police officer, or each other even?
I'm sure more creative people than myself can come up with better counters to these terrible posters.
Posted by mandrill at March 7, 2008 09:57 AM
Hmm, wonder how that ties in with the Metropolitan Police Service's policy statement on filming in London that, "The Metropolitan Police Service supports and encourages filming in London. Operating within the law and our resource envelope [WTF is THAT?], we will endeavour to provide all reasonable assistance to film-makers."
Now you can no longer take a film camera (even a relatively small Sony DV-CAM) onto the streets without permission from the cops; or rather you can do it but you run the risk of having to spend a long time proving to a 'Community Support Officer' that you are indeed neither a recon unit for Al Queda or a member of the Taliban who accidentally got lost in Central London on his/her way to Helmand province.
Posted by Julian Taylor at March 7, 2008 10:49 AM
How much would it cost to implement a copycat campaign, with similar posters but even more absurd messages?
I'm all in favour of a police lolkatz poster campaign, especially with the motto "Sky Kitteh iz watchin yoo, behave". At least it might show some humour.
Posted by Julian Taylor at March 7, 2008 10:53 AM
"Who's up for phoning in lots of sightings of 'suspicious' police officers?"
There's a suspicious looking car parked on the side of the highway.
I think the driver might be wearing a police uniform, but I can't tell, because the windows are dark. The car doesn't look like a police car; no markings, no red-and-blue lights on top.
And he's pointing something that looks like a gun at other drivers.
Posted by anonymous at March 7, 2008 02:09 PM
There's a suspicious looking car parked on the side of the highway.
I can haz overtiem?
Posted by Sunfish at March 7, 2008 02:13 PM
I suspect this government of conspiring to create a de facto police state and deprive me of my ancient constitutional freedoms.
Where can I report that?
Posted by Niall at March 7, 2008 05:24 PM
So, if I am visiting jolly olde London towne and I see a suspicious person wearing robes and funny head wear doing something strange, I should report him.
Will the Britain political correct police then arrst me for ethnic harassment?
Posted by middleclassguy at March 8, 2008 01:37 AM
I'm fond of turtles, too, but I can't for the life of me understand the meaning of the above link. Is that a serious poster or another joke knock-off? If it's serious, of what is that supposed to be a picture? (If it's a joke, I like the Lolcats version a lot better!)
Posted by Laird at March 9, 2008 01:28 AM
just a kid here in portland people found funny - he's sorta making the rounds
Posted by spidly at March 9, 2008 08:47 AM
An unmarked car with tinted windows - and a man pointing what looks like a gun at you.
Best shoot him. Self defence.
"But it was a speed gun".
I am sorry - how could I know that?
Posted by Paul Marks at March 9, 2008 09:33 PM
