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Londoner Fined for Accurately Pointing Out Crappy Security

londonist.com — Apparently the cops on the London Underground feel that mentioning that the metal detectors on the Tube are ***** is worth 20 minutes of harassment and an 80 pound fine. Good thing here in the US, we treat people who come forward with security concerns with the respect they deserve, oh wait...

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  • Archimboldo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18Pretty crappy behavior. But I'll have to say, in the US I expect a few cops to have an attitude. Don't know what they're paid in the UK, but here it ain't much.

    Sure, in the academies they are taught to be courteous, but if your job day after day puts you in contact with baddies, you probably get jaded. Heck, even if you were a traffic cop, you'd probaby be exposed to the worst in every day human behavior. Not a profession for those who want to believe the best about their fellow human beings. On the other hand, they're necessary. My philosophical $0.02.
    • harvinator24, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I know what your saying, if all your around is fools then your bound to be angry once in awhile.

      Starting wages for cops arent that great but its a profession that you can stay in for a long time. Benefits and pension are great though.
    • plamoni, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5Well, *****... -- My philosophical 80 pounds...
    • mc7winkie, on 10/12/2007, -16/+9Most misleading title. Ever. I can hardly say "accuratley pointing out security flaws" when he says they are, "Pieces of *****." Wow. Furthermore how do we know he didn't say, "These dumb ass ***** coppers don't know that their metal detectors are ***** wads like their mums." Judging by the language on the site I beleive that there is more to it than that. Marking as inaccurate.
    • mc7winkie, on 10/12/2007, -18/+3Edit:

      His buddy has a degree in physics right? He acts like physics has ANYTHING to do with metal detectors. He falsely says his friend is an expert on the subject (when he's not) to act as if his comment had justification and forcing more blame on to the police.
    • zweben, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22"He acts like physics has ANYTHING to do with metal detectors."

      That's probably because it *does*. Metal detectors use electromagnetic induction to detect metal, and last time I checked, electromagnetic induction was physics.
    • mc7winkie, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3Lets see what howstuffworks.com has to say...
      http://home.howstuffworks.com/metal-detector.htm
      Sounds alot more like radiology than physics...
    • eylander, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14from your article...
      * Very low frequency (VLF)
      * Pulse induction (PI)
      * Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO)

      hmmm... seems like physics...
    • FlaG8r, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Radiology seems a lot like physics too. That's because it is based in physics.
    • Rickler, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2The pay difference between cops and fireman is absurd here in California. More then half the cities' budget in my town goes to fire. I'd much rather that money go toward schools and police then my neighbors $75k shinny new red F-350. I swear the fire department is like some kind of mob protecting their high pay.
    • MAdaXe42, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Metal detection == physics, and has the root of ***** all to do with radiology. EM Induction != x-rays.
    • Llan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Absolutely everything has to do with Physics...Physics is everything...
  • oxygenuk, on 10/12/2007, -14/+15im british and this makes me sick, stupid tony blair ****
  • dirtyfratboy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4This is like trying to keep kids from finding out that Santa Claus doesn't exist... Everyone knows what's going on, but tries to shush others from blurting out the obvious...
  • jfreeman, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4Here in the U.S., when people "come forward with security concerns", they usually did something unlawful and unnecessary in the process.
  • MiDri, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3Um... he was stopped for swearing... not for pointing out crappy security flaws...
    • Courthold, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16True, but would he have been stopped if he wasn't swearing about the metal detector?
  • bitcloud, on 10/12/2007, -8/+6Power corrupts...

    It's as old as time
  • c5mjohn, on 10/12/2007, -11/+4My gut reaction is to side on the bobbies on this one. I liken it to joking about security in an airport. Airport security has signs put up making it clear that joking about breaking security is against the rules. In the same vein making an immature and vulgar remark about the tube's metal detectors would warrant police attention. If he really had a criticism then he should have written a letter to Scotland Yard and the newspapers. I would like to see the official report because the article feels incredibly biased.
    • bitcloud, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Balls to that. I quite clearly understand how the author can lose his cool and write a journalistic piece riddled with swearing... We've tried reasoning, we've tried rational, but the bottom line is that you can't reason with these people. They are beyond reason. We're now at the stage where we are having to yell in frustration "***** THIS RELENTLESS *****... ***** THIS CRIMINALISATION OF EVERYONE... ***** OFF YOU FASCIST PIGS" & quite frankly i don't care how cliched, unreasonable, hotheaded it sounds, because it really sums up my opinion and the opinion of countless others. The world is being overrun by ignorant/stupid power-playing egomaniacs and it *must* stop. PHYSICS MAJORS UNITE
    • Llan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Airport security has signs put up making it clear that joking about breaking security is against the rules."

      This is ridiculous. Some airport rules < Constitutional rights.
      Where do we live? The Middle Ages?
  • theoallardyce, on 10/12/2007, -9/+13To the retarded police involved: You ***** lazy ***** need to get off your God-damn fat overpaid asses and bloody well go find some real ***** criminals for once. It pisses me off so much when people are getting mugged or assaulted probably no more than 100 JESUS CHRIST MOTHER ***** ***** FEET from the ***** station and ***** pig ***** are wasting their mother ***** time ***** around arresting people for nothing.

    HOW ***** DARE YOU ***** WASTE MY ***** ***** TAX MONEY STANDING AROUND LIKE ASS LICKING HOOKERS WHILE CHAVS AND G-HAD JOES ARE OUT THERE ACTUALLY TURNING THIS COUNTRY TO *****!

    HOW ***** DARE YOU ARREST A MAN FOR SWEARING WHEN YOU ALLOWED 200 PEOPLE TO STAND OUTSIDE THE DANISH EMBASSY AND ***** THREATEN TO KILL PEOPLE!

    Now I realise that most police are decent hard working people who respect and understand the spirit of the law and are not assholes about it. However the cow felching pricks who stand around wasting everyones time and making this country a living hell are ***** idiots.
    • bitcloud, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Hear Hear!

      Intelligent, well thought out, and with some CUT THROUGH...

      Choke on it fascists!
    • billshackle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3"You ***** lazy ***** need to get off your God-damn fat overpaid asses" do you know how much a year they are paid to protect pricks like you. It's not much. *****
    • MAdaXe42, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Protect us? from whom? And nobody forced them to be cops. The police are, and always have been, a bunch of lazy ***** bastards - I had a substantial amount of posessions (motorbike, furniture that has been in family 300+ years) stolen a few months ago - the police refused to do a damn thing until i threatened to sue.
      ***** the police - their sole function is to crap on people who do 71mph on the motorway, and shoot braziliians.
  • JohnnySoftware, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1His voice could not have been that low if a dozen people heard it. Acoustics in an underground tunnel are a lot different than walking down the sidewalk outdoors. He might not have spoken in such a low voice, relatively speaking.

    It is not even a conversation one needs to have with a beat cop. Those guys are trying to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious. If he really felt like the things were inadequate, he could have taken the matter up with a representative of the precinct or his voting district that has some control over purchasing. They might know some things he didn't, or vice versa.

  • MacCombe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Well I think the police were remarkably restrained.
    Usual policy is to shoot undesirable tube-travellers seven times in the head...
    (oh, and once in the shoulder in case they would raise their hand to protest.)

    Good job they didn't find out that several of the women in the queue were concealing Brazilians.
    • jbond, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0LOL! Because you gotta larf, right?

      Still mustn't grumble. It's not Ken Livingstone's fault after all.
  • fishnchips, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Since when was it illegal to swear in public? Is this the new money spinner in the UK for the government? First hiding speed cameras and making millions a year out of motorists on roads with deliberately lowered speed limits (aka the variable speed limits on the M25). Next they'll be hanging around pubs fining drunks for the odd swear word. Easy money.
    • theoallardyce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Its not illegal 'technically' but I believe it comes under some other very sweeping laws like 'disorderly conduct' and 'threatening behaviour'. This is the staple ***** excuse used by police around the world to scare-arrest (arrest for 24 hours without any intention of pursuing charges) people they dont like, since no-one wants to go to the police station for upto a day and deal with all that crap most will fall into line. These laws are _supposed_ to deal with dirty little thugs who are too street-smart to let the police catch them doing anything really illegal but need to be taken off the streets for a little bit. However, they are often used by police who have no sense of humour or understanding of reality, have had a bad day, or just dont like someone - these are the sorts of power hungry idiots who should not be given uniforms.
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