tarboat's photos with the keyword: harassment

Harassment part 1: I should have known better than to want to take photographs of grade 1 listed buildings. At the time that I took this shot I was standing on a small grassy roundabout on a public road having been photographing the rather nice art deco gatehouses at the Boots UK Limited production site at Beeston in Nottingham. Clearly this was criminal behaviour as I soon espied the hi-viz security operative approaching. Soon he was demanding to know what I was doing and why I was doing it. On being informed that I was taking photographs (the camera was a bit of a giveaway) and that why was none of his business, he informed me that Boots didn't want people taking photographs and it was illegal for me to do so. When I pointed out that I was in a public place and could photograph what I wanted, he radioed to higher authority and was told to call the police immediately! I continued my walk onto the public footpath that runs alongside the perimeter fence where a second harassment took place.

Having left security officer one to call the police it wasn't long before I became aware of a security emblazoned 4wd vehicle tracking me from inside the perimeter of the Boots factory at Beeston, Nottingham. Very soon it stopped and I was faced with this guy who said he was the head of security. He informed me that photographing the site was illegal and demanded to know why I was doing so. He did not wish to know that photography from a public place was perfectly lawful. When I took this shot he was extremely unhappy and said that it was illegal because he had not given permission for his photo to be taken. He said he would call the police. I never saw any police but he did keep me under surveillance even when I was walking away on the far side of the Beeston Canal. I am sure that the many CCTV cameras around the Boots site recorded images of my good self, but funnily enough I don't remember Boots UK Limited asking my permission either. ;-)

Now it's not the greatest of photographs but I rather liked the idea of the site photograph on the sign with the real thing in the background. I have collected several such images of Chinese industrial sites without difficulty over the past few years. So there I was stood at the side of the public road when I was accosted by two security men from a cabin at the entrance to the United Utilities Mersey Valley Processing Centre on the right. Apparently they were of the view that photography was forbidden and, indeed, illegal. This was an interesting attitude as I was in a public place and there is no law that I know of that forbids photography of United Utilities signs. When I explained that for this reason I would not stop taking photographs they went off to call for the police. I never saw any police and assume that security were either bluffing or were told not to be so daft.

It's happened again! I am getting really tired of security people, and others, trying to tell me that photography is not allowed. In this case I was with two friends taking photographs from the canal towpath outside the Lostock Works of Brunner Mond. Then this guy arrives in his little white van, crosses the bridge and comes up the path shouting that we must stop immediately and that photography is not allowed. After I asked him who he was and why no photos allowed he said because Brunner Mond didn't allow it. I suggested that Brunner Mond had no say in whether I could take photos from a public place and he went off to get the police. Funnily enough no police arrived and when we saw him later he was still insisting that we could not take photos. I wonder how many people are put off by this sort of intimidation.