Told to delete photos by security guard.

salmoally

salmoally

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Sal
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I was taking some photos of the sky above a BAE systems building in my local area from a bus-stop across the road (I had heard you can get some nice shots of light aircraft landing). Literally seconds after the first couple of shots I had a security guard demanding I give him my memory card for disposal!

I obviously declined and asked why, he said taking photos of the building were prohibited and any photographs taken destroyed. I told him there were none of the building and just of the sky above it.

In the end he just wouldn't leave so I formatted my card in front of him and walked off:shrug:

Going back next sunday with a Zoom lens instead...:(
 
That man was totally in the wrong and I would consider a complaint to the company he was working for.

He has no right to tell you to delete photographs.

Fortunately there are tools available that will allow you to recover the images.
 
neil_g said:
nobody, not even the police can make you delete photos..
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Having an Islamic name, a beard and photographing aircraft probably wouldn't have done me any favours if the police did show up. Think the fear got to me lol!
 
salmoally said:
Having an Islamic name, a beard and photographing aircraft probably wouldn't have done me any favours if the police did show up. Think the fear got to me lol!
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Shouldnt make a difference. I know in the real world sadly its not always like that, but you should have held your ground. Let him call the police, they will be as powerless as he is.

Maybe you should organise a TP meet at the location. See how he likes that. :cool:
 
I would have said that if any offence has been done he should call the police as he can only ask you to leave if you are on private property. He also has no right of detainment as he only has the same level of authority as any other member of the public does, so he could call the police but you would still be free to leave with immediate effect. If he were to lay a hand on you or your kit that would be assault which is definately a criminal offence.
 
neil_g said:
nobody, not even the police can make you delete photos..
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Exactly. I seriously get knacked off when I hear about security officers telling people to delete images/ask to confiscate memory cards. Frankly I'd tell them to f off.

They can only ask that you don't take pictures. However, publishing those images when asked not to can land you in some legal hot water.

And, as pointed out, taking photographs of the building IS NOT prohibited as I am guessing you were on a public right of way.

Rgds
 
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Easy to recover the images if you wanted to. Really annoys me when I hear that. Just ignorant jobsworth fools
 
Only a court can order the destuction (deletion) if images.

I fully understand your concerns but it does not matter what your name is, you are legally going about your business of taking photos.

Taking images of aircraft near a military installation (BAE are contractors) might involve a few questions from Police regarding national security under anti terrorism laws that apply to all of us. We should all be prepared to co operate too but a security guard has no such lawful authority.

Remain polite and ask them to call the Police. :)
 
Just a thought, the fact it was BAe jumps out at me from your post. I don't know exactly where you were but bear in mind that photography around some of BAE's sites may be legally prohibited due to work they do for the MOD. But if that was the case then it should be signposted around the perimeter. Worth double checking before you try it again though.

David
 
You're standing at the bus stop, so presumably on the public highway/footpath.
  • Ask to see his SIA identification card, make a note of his name and registration number. If he doen't show it then he isn't a security guard, or if he is he's in breach of the regulations in not publically displaying the card (that's why door bouncers now have them in a clear pocket on the sleeve of their jacket).
  • Ask him to show you the section of the Assignment Instructions for the site that make it is duty to harrass members of the public whilst they are about their lawful business off the client premises. It won't be there, therefore he's in breach of the contracted duties to the client.
  • Ask for a name and contact details of the manager or director of the security company he works for so that you can register a formal written complaint about his actions.
  • Then tell him (politely) to ***s off.


BAe could be a restricted site, and if it is it may not be signed. But it isn't for a private security guard to enforce it if it is. There was sometyhing a year or so ago about sites listed by the Home Secretary that had special protection. It was about a photographer that had stopped to photograph Grangemouth from the side of the road. Last I heard FOI direct requests for the list of sites were being blocked, but a work-around was being worked on to get the information by other means.
 
same thing happened to me and a mate round the new media city in salford, a security guard came out ask what we were doing to which we replied taking pictures for fun. he then told us we're not allowed to take pictures there to which i asked if it was a public right of way and he said yes so just said ok im allowed to do what i want then.

we did leave just after couldnt be bothered with him, but if it happens again ill ask them to call the police.
 
Digifrog said:
And, as pointed out, taking photographs of the building IS NOT prohibited as I am guessing you were on a public right of way.
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When I worked for BAe Systems at their submarine facility in Barrow there were signs all the way around the perimeter warning that photography was prohibited under the Official Secrets Act. The same goes for their Royal Ordnance factory in Gateshead. I know he wasn't photographing the building in this instance though.
 
afewdays ago i was parked up outside a petrol station with cars either side of me, then one of them audi r8's pulled in and it was filthy, ironically he parked right under a car wash sign, having the camera i took a few pics of it.

the owner saw and didnt seem to care ( he even smiled ) but then a lad in the car next to me said to his dad who was getting something from the boot of his car that i was taken pictures of the audi

the bloke came round to my door and asked what i was doing, so i told him that as i have a camera in my hand its a safe bet im taken pics....... what of..... that audi...... it aint yours ........... well it aint yours either...... u got no right and you better stop.

the audi owner came out and he ran over to him pointing at me so i went over aswell, the audi owner said to him listen t1t if he wants a pic of my car then let him, then he made me laugh, he said to the prat funny thing is mate alot of people think that w*****s drive an audi and here you are with a focus puts that theory in the bin doesnt it.

i was laughing all the way back to my car,
 
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I suspect that I used to work at the Bae systems in question.
This sort of Security Guard jobsworth really gets on my wick .
So here's a nice (freely available on the web) picture of an interesting sky above the "towers".

Link http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1975720

1975720_5bde8e17.jpg



salmoally said:
I was taking some photos of the sky above a BAE systems building in my local area from a bus-stop across the road (I had heard you can get some nice shots of light aircraft landing). Literally seconds after the first couple of shots I had a security guard demanding I give him my memory card for disposal!

I obviously declined and asked why, he said taking photos of the building were prohibited and any photographs taken destroyed. I told him there were none of the building and just of the sky above it.

In the end he just wouldn't leave so I formatted my card in front of him and walked off:shrug:

Going back next sunday with a Zoom lens instead...:(
Click to expand...
 
@matty198111 - I'd have pointed out that it's almost impossible to visit any petrol station these days without images of your vehicle being captured on CCTV, and that anyone unhappy about having their vehicle photographed would be well advised to avoid visiting filling stations.
 
BigBudgie said:
I suspect that I used to work at the Bae systems in question.
This sort of Security Guard jobsworth really gets on my wick .
So here's a nice (freely available on the web) picture of an interesting sky above the "towers".

Link http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1975720

1975720_5bde8e17.jpg
Click to expand...

Lol!

Yep that is the one. Funny thing is i was at almost the exact same position but my camera was pointing almost vertical to get the shots of the planes landing, couldn't even see the damn building...
 
Asking for deletion is in effect destruction of evidence - I am sure it will happen to me one day, when it does I will happily comply with the Police at the Police station, I will not format or destroy a card though !
 
In all fairness to the OP (and this is not an excuse for the actions of the jobsworth security guard), you can get far better photos of the aircraft landing and taking off, at Rochester airport, by walking into the airport itself, or going around the back of the airport, where there is a perimeter fence, and snapping away quite freely. There are usually a few people with cameras in the better weather, and I can only say, that I have never been asked to leave, or been questioned.
 
this happened to a friend and me as we were shooting his car outside of an office block in the centre of town... needless to say we were on public land so he couldnt do anything
 
I would have told him to go forth and multiply.....or words to that effect.
Had a similar thing very many years ago in a cemetery and some jobsworth who wanted my roll of 35mm from the camera. He never got it.:nono:
 
I take it you at/near Rochester Airport ?

I've been up there a number of times with my camera (not for a couple of years though).

I'll have to frequent the place next time I back at the in-laws.... And I would have politely told him to mind his own business.

Steve
 
philgale said:
same thing happened to me and a mate round the new media city in salford, a security guard came out ask what we were doing to which we replied taking pictures for fun. he then told us we're not allowed to take pictures there to which i asked if it was a public right of way and he said yes so just said ok im allowed to do what i want then.

we did leave just after couldnt be bothered with him, but if it happens again ill ask them to call the police.
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No more needed, you did the right thing there, if he had tried to intervene beyond that point is when it would have been time to call the police / invite him to do so. If it had indeed been private property, he could have asked you to leave and you would have had to comply or you would have been trespassing.

boliston said:
I would have said that if any offence has been done he should call the police as he can only ask you to leave if you are on private property. He also has no right of detainment as he only has the same level of authority as any other member of the public does, so he could call the police but you would still be free to leave with immediate effect. If he were to lay a hand on you or your kit that would be assault which is definately a criminal offence.
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Absolutely correct.
 
Matty198111 - the only problem I foresee with taking a photograph at a petrol station is one of potential risk of fire or explosion, unless of course you have an intrinsically safe camera!!!!!
Same risk as using a mobile phon on a forecourt.
 
jagman said:
Matty198111 - the only problem I foresee with taking a photograph at a petrol station is one of potential risk of fire or explosion, unless of course you have an intrinsically safe camera!!!!!
Same risk as using a mobile phon on a forecourt.
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The answer is don't use the flash use ambient light & a fast lens. ;)
 
jagman said:
Matty198111 - the only problem I foresee with taking a photograph at a petrol station is one of potential risk of fire or explosion, unless of course you have an intrinsically safe camera!!!!!
Same risk as using a mobile phon on a forecourt.
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I read..a lot, and have yet to read of a petrol forecourt being blown up by some poor soul phoning a friend...

<stands by for a plethora of links :naughty:>
 
TinaC said:
I read..a lot, and have yet to read of a petrol forecourt being blown up by some poor soul phoning a friend...

<stands by for a plethora of links :naughty:>
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It's a scam, like the whole "no mobile phones in hospitals" fiasco.

Patients were banned from using mobiles so they pay premium rate to call relatives yet consultants are blatantly talking on their mobile phones.
 
jagman said:
Matty198111 - the only problem I foresee with taking a photograph at a petrol station is one of potential risk of fire or explosion, unless of course you have an intrinsically safe camera!!!!!
Same risk as using a mobile phon on a forecourt.
Click to expand...

It is a total myth that using a mobile phone on a forecourt is a fire hazard. If you get the chance watch the programme Mythbusters. They filled a caravan with petrol cans and petrol fumes and I think around 6 mobile phones and when they were ready they set off ALL the mobile phones and......NOTHING.

Apparently the reason they dont want you using a mobile phone on a garage forecourt is that it has been known to affect the pump, resulting in an inaccurate reading.
 
AFC said:
...
Apparently the reason they dont want you using a mobile phone on a garage forecourt is that it has been known to affect the pump, resulting in an inaccurate reading.
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Does this mean you get cheaper petrol if you fill up whilst having a chat on your iphone? :cool:
 
boliston said:
Does this mean you get cheaper petrol if you fill up whilst having a chat on your iphone? :cool:
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I read somewhere that it had affected a petrol pump and resulted in a cheaper price.

I couldn't confirm whether that was true or not.
 
boliston said:
It's a scam, like the whole "no mobile phones in hospitals" fiasco.

Patients were banned from using mobiles so they pay premium rate to call relatives yet consultants are blatantly talking on their mobile phones.
Click to expand...

Correct,

In towns a lot of petrol price signs actually have mobile phone masts inside them.

Mick
 
It's not mobile phones and flash that are dangerous, it's things like sparking HT leads on misfiring cars, so to be safe just push your car onto and off the forecourt :LOL::LOL::LOL:
 
Mickwreay said:
Correct,

In towns a lot of petrol price signs actually have mobile phone masts inside them.

Mick
Click to expand...

Yes I've acquired a few of those (I work in telecoms) :)
 
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