[GreenKeys] Telegraph in 2009?

Fri Jun 19 13:52:52 EDT 2009

For over 20 years I made a hobby of collecting photos of the rural 
telephone exchange buildings around the UK. I think I must have over 
1000 photos now. Only once was I ever challenged with any security 
issues although I used to get lots of funny looks and probably had my 
car number taken down by the local neighbourhood watch on numerous 
occasions.

On the one occasion, I was at a rural exchange not too far from Oxford, 
probably some ten miles out. The old small building was still there but 
had been superceded by a new larger one built behind. So it now was big 
enough to have a yard with a high wire fence around. I noticed that 
parked around the back were some mobile Strowger exchange trailers which 
at the time were of great interest from a historical point of view, most 
had been scrapped. The gates were open and no one was around, this being 
quite a rural spot, so I thought I would sneak into the back for a quick 
close up photo. I only just got half way down the drive and a police car 
came screaming around into the driveway and an excited officer leapt out 
to ask what I was up to. While I was explaining my hobby interest in the 
trailers a police helicopter arrived over head. The officer waved it 
away and radioed back to HQ that I was simply "armed" with a camera. He 
informed me that if I had sported an Irish accent that I would have been 
immediately arrested and straight down the nick. I questioned how he got 
here so fast and he was proud to tell me it only took him 8 minutes from 
Oxford, almost as quick as the helicopter!. I explained that I had not 
been there more than 5 minutes at the most, but he insisted I must have 
"set off an alarm or something". He couldn't tell me the circumstances 
of the call out. I explained that these sites didnt have alarms like 
that else they would be forever being called out by wild animals. I 
hadnt been near the building to set off any building alarms.  I think 
this site was rather more sensitive than some as it may have carried 
circuits relating to Upper Heyford US air base. Anyway, having my wife 
with me in the car, I think he believed me and sent me on my way.

I got about a mile down the road and the officer came screaming up and 
flagged me down yet again. He took me back to the exchange to show me 
how he had found a parked van broken in to. Yet again he seemed to 
believe that it wasnt me as I had no tools with me. I reasoned with him 
that a likely scenario, all taken into account, was that someone had 
been breaking into the van and very likely I disturbed them. Also, as 
there is a public footpath passing behind the building, maybe a member 
of the public called the police on hearing the van alarm go off. This 
must have been well before I got there.

I must say that on this occasion it was the right outcome for the Police 
attitude of that time, which was now over ten years ago and very fair. I 
was lucky. Now the enemy is no longer assumed to be Irish, but it could 
be anyone it seems. And with the latest UK laws about being able to hold 
you for weeks on end without charge, as long as you "could" be 
responsible for something connected with terrorism, I no longer feel 
comfortable about going around taking photos of telephone exchanges, or 
anything else really. There are so many things you can be misunderstood 
for taking pictures of and, as you say, the world is becoming a 
miserable less interesting place as the result and many hobbies are 
destroyed either by legislation or more typically, health and safety fear..

pdwills at cedarknolltelephone.com wrote:
> Every time I read these things, I realize that the
> terrorists won more than they could ever believe possible.
>
> As a kid, I used to hang around railroads, chase down
> telephone trucks (to try to get scrap cable) and be
> fascinated with power lines.  (I ended up in the railroad
> industry where you can find "all of the above.")
>
> I suspect that the world is becoming very "sterile" to the
> modern generation.
>
> PDW
>
> ----- Original Message Follows -----
> From: hunybuny at eskimo.com
> To: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Telegraph in 2009?
> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:21:42 -0700
>
>   
>> GA OM's
>>
>> A few weeks ago there was a to-do in a town in the Seattle
>> area of Washington State. It is a small town. A fairly-old
>> (woman) college professor, who is known for her
>> photography, tooks some pictures of high-tention towers
>> (power poles). Apparently some people got excited and
>> called the cops. The report states that the cops were
>> unduly rough with her.
>>
>> Because it was settled out of court, there are not alot of
>> facts available. What is being said is:
>>
>> o The authorities said "we were just being diligent -
>> because of terrorism".
>>
>> o The people countered with:
>>
>> - She was held way too long.
>> - She is a local and has lived here for a long, long time.
>> - She teaches at the local college.
>> - She's an old lady - hardly the stereotype of a
>> terrorist. - She is well-known for her photography.
>> - There is no law of taking pictures from the sidewalk.
>> - You could have run "checks" from the police car and got
>> everything you could possibly want to know about her in
>> minutes.
>>
>> UE,
>> W6ESE - tony
>> NNNNZCZC
>>
>> -- 
>> Tony J. Podrasky | You haven't mastered a tool unless you
>> can come
>>                   | up with at least three ways to use it
>> for which
>>                   | it was never intended.
>>                   |                              - Tony J.
>> Podrasky
>>
>>     
> ______________________________________________________________
> GreenKeys mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>
>   

-- 
This Email personally scripted by: Martin
The Strowger aficionado's site is at http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13