…the Town Hall clock is chiming again. It was raised at the Summit last night by former Councillor Albert Slingsby who was of the view that Potts the Clockmakers should have a full set of spare parts up in the tower so they could fix it more quickly next time.

Albert, you are seriously clueless, these bits are NOT off the shelf, and they wouldn’t have been in 1895 either!

Regrettably, the mechanics are a curate’s egg whilst they are inaccessible due to elfen’ safety and may as well be replaced with an electric radio controlled mechanism. That way it would always be accurate,  they could turn off the bells at night and mute them during Brass Band recordings as well- all without having to risk going up into the tower.

Go for it Leeds, but please exhibit the clock as a dynamic sculpture  somewhere in the Town, it would be a much more interesting piece of art than dead animals and manky beds.

I noted last week that unauthorised photography was prohibited at the Glasshoughton retail outlet, something I put down to commercial reasons. However, it seems that it may be down to counter-terrorism “Security Theatre” instead. Why do I reckon that? A story in the Daily Mail, about two pensioners (one in a wheelchair) being accosted in a shopping Centre in Hull for the heinous crime of the man snapping his Wife.

Snippets from the story:

Centre manager David Laycock backed his guards’ vigilance. He said: “It’s our duty of care to check that all pictures taken are for legitimate reasons.”

He said public places such as shopping centres had been highlighted in Home Office guidance as being vulnerable to attack.

“Photographic reconnaissance is a proven potential risk,” he said. “It is not realistic for security staff to assess who might be taking photographs innocently or otherwise.

“We therefore operate a blanket ban on photography without prior authorisation.”

The centre introduced the ban after receiving a 66-page document from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office on security advice for shopping centres.

It warns staff to look out for people taking pictures, sketching or taking notes.

(My emphasis).

That first sentence in bold speaks volumes about the opinions the management hold about the judgement of their staff. It is the same mentality that forces Supermarket checkout staff to ask middle-aged people if they are over 18 and the able bodied if they need assistance with their packing. Don’t risk offending minority groups- just offend everyone instead…

It is interesting how the taking of photographs has been progressively demonized over the years: if you snap your kids at the leisure centre you are a possible pederast, if you snap buildings you are a possible terrorist.

Samizdata has a good take on the If you suspect it - report it mentality.

As to this 66 page document about shopping centre security- it seems unlikely that the Centre Manager had read it very closely. It has a section on Hostile Reconnaissance which has a lot of good stuff in it. It actually says:

What to look for.

<snip>

• people taking pictures – filming – making notes – sketching of the security measures at shopping centres. Tourists should not necessarily be taken as such and should be treated sensitively, but with caution
• overt/covert photography, video cameras, possession of photographs, maps, blueprints etc, of critical infrastructures, electricity transformers, gas pipelines, telephone cables etc
• possession of maps, global positioning systems, (GPS), photographic equipment, (cameras, zoom lenses, camcorders). GPS will assist in the positioning and correct guidance of weapons such as mortars and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs). This should be considered a possibility up to one kilometre from any target

The advice is to tell the control room for CCTV evidential gathering then for them to get in touch with the anti-terrorist hotline. I can’t find any recommendations in there about blanket bans on photography, indeed it is full of common sense.

It is recognised that there is a need to maintain a friendly and welcoming atmosphere within shopping centre environments and this guide is not intended to create a ‘fortress mentality’. There is however a balance to be achieved where security management are informed that there are robust protective security measures available to mitigate against the threat of terrorism, e.g. vehicle access controls at goods/service entrances.

Of course, shopping centres are private property so they can make up any rules they want, no matter how silly. However, they have to be prepared to look stupid when they tell porkies about why they make the rules though, like J D Wetherspoon & “child cruelty”.

If you are interested in Shopping Centre counter-terrorism protective security advice, the document is online at the NACTSO website. (& a Scottish version as well…)