Upminster security guards stop enthusiast from filming.
 

LondonRailEnthusiast] youtube video - Upminster security guards stop enthusiast from filming.

It seems that on Friday evening a 'security guard' tried to stop an enthusiast from filming Sarah Siddens as she passed through the station. I assume that this was done for 'security' reasons.

But thankfully the enthusiast kept the camera rolling and has now made this footage public, on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbpk9dm8dLo

I hope this film is brought to the attention of London Transport and TfL as soon as possible, there are at least two heads that should roll.

Well done for the guy who managed to film that. Those people should be ashamd. Of course, makes you wonder if they would have taken on a group of drunks or hoodies, probrably not, just picked on decent people instead

Well as far as I understand it and I AM NOT a "barrack room lawyer", but I was only reading a similiar case earlier today.

NO ONE EVEN A POLICE OFFICER, CAN STOP A PERSON FILMING OR TAKING PHOTOS IN A PUBLIC PLACE AND THEY CANNOT TAKE FILM OR EQUIPMENT.

I think you will find that is correct, it came straight from the Metropolitan Police.

48111

I would have asked to see it all in writing as to where we can't use a camera on a station, when they are filming US without OUR permission and getting away with it.

It should work both ways.

Response from 10 Downing Street
 

This is the response from 10 Downing Street dated 21.10.2009 concerning an epetition about railway enthusiast on stations.

Network Rail, the British Transport Police and some train operators have policies in place that recognise the security benefits that the presence of enthusiasts can bring to the railway. The Government also recognises this and agrees that extra security at stations should not prevent enthusiasts from pursuing their legitimate interests. Enthusiasts are asked to make their presence known to station staff so as to avoid the sort of confrontation described in the petition.

Railway enthusiasts are subject to the same rules as anyone else using the railway and so must not, for example, trespass on parts of the railway that are not open to the general public.

However, there may be occasions when staff seek to remove enthusiasts. Where there are good reasons for this, for example when there is a particular security threat, the staff concerned should be ready and able to explain the reasons. Otherwise, Network Rail and the British Transport Police provide a summary of their relevant policies on their website and recommend that enthusiasts take a copy to show staff should they be challenged.

This has gone way beyond a joke now and needs clarifying once and for all. Just look in any Railway Magazine on the paper stands today and where long distance shots are got, some from the roadside, bridges, wherever, yet NOBODY gets told they can't take them from these places, but on a station, we are treated like Terrorists.

It all goes out the window the second they decide to call you a suspected terrorist, they can do almost anything they want at that point.

I hope the guy has sent some of this evidence to london transport or boris .talk about jobsworth these officials no nothing about their own employment well out of order. well done for getting it filmed.

Look at it this way.
This a pplies to airports as well.
A terrorist when you think about it is not going to waste time in a place where he is going to be caught is he?
I read an article the other day about airports stating that at the Norfolk RAF bases no less, aviation enthusiasts are WELCOMED by personel to look out for the abnormal.
If the military use transport enthusiasts then it proves it, we are the governments greatest weapon against terrorism, we know what is normal and what is not.

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys, its about time that those in charge of security in this country realised that we all have concerns about security and as such we need to work together, by alienating us, they put all our safety at risk and make their own jobs all that much harder, thats if they have any real interest in what they are being employed to do anyway..

What is this country coming to or to be more exact what HAS it come to.

I dont want to get embroiled in to an argument about who is a terrorist and who is not, we all know the seriousness of that situation, and indeed that is another thread for some other forum.

I can see the case from the security side of things and from the enthuiasts side of things, so why does someone not come up with an idea where perhaps anyone wanting to take photos of the railways or indeed aircraft if they are in to avaition (and there is a lot that are), so why cant there be some kind of booking system, or a phone number where you can phone up , give your name and address and the day and date you want to be at a particular location(s), then you could be given some sort of reference number or code and if you are challenged you refer to that and it can be checked, if it checks out you will be clear to take "pics" or film without any problems. If you do not register you will be moved off whatever site you are on.

Ye I know it sounds a bit far fetched, but at least it would be some kind of step in the right direction and it would save all these confrontations with "jobsworth" security guards.

But someone somewhere wants to do something positive a bit quick or else this kind of nonsense will just keep happening over and over again.

You can check this out.

Les

http://www.bluenoxid.co.uk/photolaw.html

I have and will be standing on this same station in the next couple of weeks and carrying paperwork telling me I can be there, should these 'Security' people tell me I can't take photographs. In fact, I already have some and of LUL stock, as well as the station and LT&SR trains, or as most know it now and C2C..