More anti-photographer police news

I blogged in June about the way that photographers are increasingly being perceived by the public and especially the police in this country. Today I read of another incident involving the police

"A Bristol man was arrested after he took a photo of a police officer who had ignored a no entry road sign.

Plumber Andrew Carter, of Bedminster, has since had an apology from the officer and Deputy Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset police Rob Beckley.

Mr Carter, 44, was walking his two dogs when a police van reversed into South Road, Bedminster, ignoring no entry signs.

The van stopped near a fish and chip shop in the street and two officers went into the shop to look at CCTV footage relating to an earlier incident.

Mr Carter said: "I had nearly been run over the previous day by a car going through the no entry signs so I was a bit miffed when a police van did the same thing.

"He reversed into the road rather than going round the block and coming in the other way, like the rest of us have to.

"I pointed at the sign and said "no entry" to the driver who swore and said 'police business'.

"I went home and got my camera. I took a photo of the van and then a picture of the officer, through the window of the chip shop.

"He came running out, smashed the camera from my hand. I was put in handcuffs and he said I had 'assaulted' him with my camera and that I was also being arrested for resisting arrest and being drunk and disorderly."

Read the rest of the article and worry about the police state we seem to be sleep-walking into; that's a police state for the generally law-abiding, the police being much more interested in the "easy collar" than catching burglars and muggers who might be dangerous and often won't pay their fines anyway.