The realities of Project Argus appear even madder than when first announced by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. Argus is our liberty-loving democratic government's latest initiative to apprehend terrorists, or photographers as they are sometimes known, using specially trained civic workers and private individuals who just like spying on people.
According to Amateur Photographer "Civilians are being told to be on guard for people carrying cameras and zoom lenses as part of anti-terrorism seminars being rolled out nationwide."
The scheme, run the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), offers a series of seminars throughout the UK and aims to take handpicked civilians such as car park attendants, security guards and Daily Mail readers and give them just enough training and authority to make them a huge pain in the arse.
The 3hr seminars will teach advanced police crime detection methods such as spotting when someone looks "shifty". "Project Argus urges people to look out for 'overt/covert photography' as well as those in possession of photographs, maps, gps, photographic equipment, (cameras, zoom lenses, camcorders)..." reports AP.
Since this applies to almost everybody in the UK over the age of 9 and under the age of 75, this jobsworth army of 60,000 will doubtless keep us safe by interfering with our dwindling civil liberties to an unprecedented degree. Although photographers have long grown used to aggressive demands to know "what are you doing?", now even possession of photographs or an A to Z is a cause for suspicion.
We have to ask : how much any of this really has to do with terrorism, and how much it is formulated to further deter the use of cameras in public places? Nobody wants to be murdered by fanatics, but possession of a camera is almost as ubquitous as trousers. It is the weakest possible hint that someone may be engaged in terrorism. The police's insistence on repeatedly conflating the two is looking increasingly like a deliberate slur designed to establish a cultural resistance to street photography. Not content with CCTV coverage, FIT monitoring, ANPR, the OSA, S44, S43 and the new CTA2008 offence of 'eliciting information of use to terrorists' by photographing police without a defensible reason, the police have neither the manpower nor the intelligence capability to apprehend terrorists. Nor have they been able to deter the use of cameras by the public in ways that are often deeply inconvenient, most recently the footage of the alleged police assault and subsequent death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 demo.
The fact is that the police, whilst enthusiastic proponents of photography within their control, seldom gain anything from the public use of cameras and quite often it is an irritant. Suppressing the latter is a bonus, if not a motive, for using Argus trainees alerted to regard photography as potentially hostile.
It certainly will not be possible to teach anyone much about either effective surveillance or the legalities of photography in public places in a few hours. Since the Argus focus is on the former, we dread the consequences of 60,000 individuals knowing just enough to be loudly and confidently wrong almost all of the time.
If only they had been trained in photography instead, they might actually appreciate that the difference in motivation is immediately apparent once you know what you're looking for. Terrorists are never going to be trying to take good pictures. Their pictorial style is rubbish, their attention to lighting and composition slovenly and their portraiture so inexpressively bad that not even BJP would publish it. And there you have a rational argument for making bad photography a prima facie indication of terrorism and an arrestable offence. Rational but deranged and dangerous, like Project Argus and so much else of the War on Photography.
The Argus seminars begin later this month and run through to December. As Argusholes are trained, it would be nice if photographers could turn up and photograph them, just to see how much they've learned. Here are most venues and dates:-
1 27/05/09 Sheffield Business’s (CLOSED EVENT) South Yorkshire
2 02/06/09
Marriott, Gateshead (Argus Hotels
INVITATION ONLY)
Northumbria
3 02/06/09 Dick De-Vigne, Southend, Essex (Argus
Night Time Economy)
Essex
4 02/06/09 Aberdeen Harbour (Maritime Sector)
marine Operations Building, Aberdeen
Harbour (Argus Ports)
Grampian
5 03/06/09 Stamford Arts Centre, Lincoln (Argus
Retail)
Lincolnshire
6 03/06/09 Venue TBC, Swansea (Argus Retail) South Wales
7 04/06/09 Venue TBC, Doncaster (Argus Retail) South Yorkshire
8 04/06/09 Bryngarw Country House Hotel, Bridgend
(Argus Night Time Economy)
South Wales
9 05/06/09 Alton Towers Leisure Park (Closed
Event)
Staffordshire
10 09/06/09 Electric Theartre, Guildford (Night Time
Economy)
Surrey
11 09/06/09 St James Church Hall, Thames Street,
Poole (Argus Retail)
Dorset
12 09/06/09 County Hotel, Chelmsford (Night Time
Economy)
Essex
13 09/06/09 Sandwell Council, Sandwell Businesses
(Open Event - Event Type TBC*)
West Midlands
14 09/06/09 Marriott Hotel, Overton Circle, Dyce,
Aberdeen (Retail Event – Closed Event)
Grampian
15 09/09/09 The Embassy Theatre, Skegness (Night
Time Economy)
Lincolnshire
16 09/06/09 Venue TBC, Barry (Argus Night Time
Economy)
South Wales
17 11/06/09 Elephant & Castle Hotel, Broad Street,
Powys. (Argus Retail)
Dyfed Powys
18 11/06/09 Stoke On Trent Council, Regent Road,
Hanley
Staffordshire
19 12/06/09 Alton Towers Leisure Park, (Closed
Event)
Staffordshire
20 16/06/09 Central Bedfordshire Council Offices,
Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands,
Shefford, Bedfordshire, (Professional
Event)
Bedfordshire
21 17/06/09 Daventry District Council (Professional
Closed Event)
Northamptonshire
22 18/06/09 Birmingham City Council, Birmingham
Businesses (Open Event - Event Type
TBC*)
West Midlands
23 18/06/09 Harwich International Port (Argus Ports) Essex
24 18/06/09 Potteries Shopping Centre, Hanley,
(Argus Retail)
Staffordshire
25 19/06/09 Alton Towers Leisure Park (Closed
Event)
Staffordshire
26 23/06/09 Touchwood Solihull, Centre Management
Team & Retail Managers (Closed Event)
West Midlands
27 23/06/09 Liquid-Envy, Colchester (Night Time
Economy)
Essex
28 23/06/09 Newcastle Business Centre, Crime
Initiative & Borough Council (Night Time
Economy)
Staffordshire
29 25/06/09 Potteries Shopping Centre, Hanley, Staffordshire
Argus Diary 2009
Date Modified: 14/05/09
(Argus Retail)
30 25/06/09 Elgin City Football Club, Borough Briggs,
ElginElgin City Football Club (AM Retail
Event)
Grampian
31 25/06/09 Elgin City Football Club, Borough Briggs,
ElginElgin City Football Club (PM Night
Time Economy)
Grampian
32 26/06/09 Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk (Argus Retail x 2
events – Closed Event)
Central Scotland
33 26/06/09 Central Bedfordshire Council Offices,
Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands,
Shefford, Bedfordshire, (Professional
Event)
Bedfordshire
34 29/06/09 The Gonville Hotel (Best Western),
Gonville Place, Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
35 30/06/09 Darwin Suite, Assembly Rooms, Derby
(Night Time Economy)
Derbyshire
36 02/07/09 Birmingham City Council, Birmingham
Businesses (Open Event - Event Type
TBC*)
West Midlands
37 02/07/09 Northumbria Uni (Argus Professional –
Architects)
Northumbria
38 09/07/09 John Lewis, Solihull (Event Type TBC –
Closed Event)
West Midlands
39 14/07/09 Birmingham City Council, Birmingham
Businesses (Event type TBC – Open
Event*)
West Midlands
40 15/07/09 GSS Architects, Kettering (Professional
Architects – Closed Event)
Northamptonshire
41 16/07/09 Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue
Headquarters, South Park Avenue,
Lincoln
Lincolnshire
42 21/07/09 Holiday Inn, Festival Leisure, Basildon Essex
43 23/07/09 Symphony Hall, Birmingham (Event Type
TBC – CLOSED EVENT)
West Midlands
44 29/07/09 Celtic Royal Hotel, Caernarfon, Gwynedd
(Night Time Economy)
North Wales
45 05/08/09 East Northants District Council Offices
(Professional – Closed Event)
Northamptonshire
46 26/08/09 Cheltenham Race Course. Cheltenham
(Night Time Economy)
Gloucestershire
47 03/09/09 Birmingham City Council, Birmingham
Businesses (Event Type TBC – Open
Event*)
West Midlands
48 07/09/09 The Trafford Centre, Manchester (Argus
Retail)
GMP
49 10/09/09 Wolverhampton City Council,
Wolverhampton (Night Time Economy –
Open Event*)
West Midlands
50 16/09/09
The Guildhall, Burton St, Nottingham
(Argus Retail)
Nottinghamshire
51 22/09/09 Aston Villa FC (Event TBC*) West Midlands
52 30/09/09 Guildhall, Burton Street, Nottingham
(Argus Professional Event)
Nottinghamshire
53 07/10/09 Plymouth. 2 x events TBC Devon and Cornwall
54 14/10/09
The Guildhall, Burton St, Nottingham
(Argus Retail)
Nottinghamshire
55 27/10/09 David Lloyd Gym, Brierley Hill (Event
Type TBC – Open Event*)
West Midlands
56 29/10/09
Highcross Shopping Centre, Leicester
(Argus Retail)
Leicestershire
57 05/11/09 Guildhall, Burton Street, Nottingham
(Argus Professional Event)
Nottinghamshire
58 24/11/09 Veasey Suite, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall
(Event Type TBC – Open Event*)
West Midlands
59 25/11/09 The Guildhall, Burton St, Nottingham
(Argus Retail)
Nottinghamshire
60 08/12/09
Coventry City House, HMS Diamond
Suite, Room 1&2 (Event Type TBC –
Open Event*)
West Midlands
* SPACES MAY BE AVAILABLE, THERE MAY BE A COST TO DELEGATES FROM OTHER AREAS (West Midlands only)
NTE = Night Time Economy
RT = Retail
Pro A = Professional Architect
Pro P = Professional Planners
H = Hotels
For further details please contact the CTSA at the local constabulary where the event you
are interested in is taking place.
Please note this diary is subject to change.
(from the PDF linked to in the OP)
Photorights admin
Unbelievable...
The day this 'goes live' every photgrapher in the country should descend on their nearest town/city with their camera fitted with the largest zoom lens owned, in protest (A-Z poking out of the pocket an optional extra). Can they possibly question the hundreds of thousands of serious photographers that would be on the streets that day?
I thought I was living in a police state, but it appears that my rights have not been crapped upon to quite the degree of you poor bastards in the UK! Not to worry, I am sure the the US government will strip the last of my rights soon too!
It occurs to me that police are merely reflecting current social and economic trends, shaped by a relentless and bankrupt economics.
First we saw the casualisation of policing, using PCSO's. Now we are seeing them move into crowdsourced vigilantism, using the free services of people whose only qualification is that they're
(a)breathing
(b)keen to collaborate diligently against an invisible enemy who might have spies everywhere with A-Z's and zooms.
(c)best of all these covert pseudo-intelligence operatives are detached from any chain of command and can unaccountably exceed any legal authority simply by imagining new laws, eg 'do you have a license for that camera', 'you cannot take pictures of my building, it's illegal'. We've heard it all before, but now 3hrs is all it takes to become 007 2.0
This is somewhat reminiscent of what photography has become. First staffers and career photographers were largely replaced by starving semi-skilled freelances to save money. Now 3hrs with a D-whatever and you too can be beating the pro's at their own game, world famous on your own Flickr page and earning fortunes of nearly a tenner by undercutting everyone on microstock and giving copyright away. And mostly just generally getting in the way everywhere, clueless about the law or ethics, and ruining it for everyone.
Here's a horrible thought. Perhaps we deserve each other?
Photorights admin
When I first read the Photorights page I checked the date - was it a leftover from April 1st?
I had a dig around to see if this was for real. Sadly it is, and there are some laughable PDFs on the subject:-
http://www.nactso.gov.uk/documents/secure-in-the-knowledge.pdf
The document is juvenile in its approach and treats the reader to a paranoid trip. The map on page 28 is a prime example; the street names such as "Accident Avenue" and "Terrorist Villas" are all surrounding YOUR business.
All that was missing was "Media Way" or "Snapper Street" and the paranoia set would be in place.
The whole document is intended to instill fear in the unknown catastrophic event that's coming your way, and then plenty reassurance that if you follow the guidelines life will be rosy and secure. This is naive advice at best and as a counter argument I can recommend a book called The Black Swan by Nassim Nicolas Taleb. At one point in the book he discusses the lengths (and
money) a Las Vegas casino lavished on security. Four unpredictable, separate events nearly bought the business to its knees on each occasion. Each of the events were unforeseen and their effects far reaching; kidnap of the owners daughter, an employee failing to send in tax forms, a disgruntled employee wanting to blow up the building and the stage act tiger mauling its owner.
Every time the casino was placed under severe financial pressure. And this is all within a business that makes the management of risk, and the associated losses, an absolute core business strategy. Casinos are the very place "risk management" would result in a safe, predicable life and the house wins. How come the best in the business get it so badly wrong?
How does the UK government think it can do better? It can't. No one can.
This is dealing with "unknown unknowns". In the meantime everyone loses out; the freedom to wear a beard and have dark skin, to take pictures of a building in a public place or photograph a policeman.
The road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions. See you all in a state controlled hell.
It's already begun...I had two female PCSO's come up during the Fareham East District Scout's St. George's Day Parade. Having seen I was using two pro-dslr's I was approached by the older (more cynical and bitter?) one and asked "are you a child photographing pervert?". Further discussions seemed to indicate that part of her training included "most perverts use professional camera equipment"...So there you have it, perverts use pro gear, not cell phones and other small cameras! The younger one just smiled, she had a lovely smile too, and didn't make any comment at all, perhaps hoping for some comment she could witness...And yes I was wearing my Scout "One World, One Promise" Necker.
The older one only stopped when a Constable (not in full uniform having just finished shift to attend with his group) took her to one side and suggested she leave!
NONE of the other photographers present, with lesser gear, got any attention.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention - it's strengthened my resolve to try and leave this country as soon as possible before I'm banged up for indulging in my hobby. The government's course of action seems increasingly clear, but what are we as photographers actually able to do about it? After all, there must be hundreds of thousands of us in the UK, amateur and professional, that take pictures every day, so surely we could organise something in protest? What would it take to get newspapers nationwide to have a photograph-free issue, just for a day? They don't want us to take photographs, so we won't!
Post new comment