Police helping terrorists

Boing Boing reports on the case of the British man arrested under terrorism laws for photographing a sewer cover.

The main points here are:

• He was held in a police cell for two days, his home was searched, his computer was confiscated for analysis, his fingerprints and DNA were taken.
• There was no evidence he was photographing a sewer cover.
• He was freed without charge.
• Photographing a sewer cover is not against the law.
• His fingerprints and DNA remain stored, despite this being against the law.

This case illustrates how the police are helping terrorists:

1. By wasting resources like this, there are less resources available for genuine anti-terrorism operations.
2. By bringing the law into disrepute like this, the police are reducing levels of public support for legitimate anti-terrorism measures in the future.
3. By compromising the openness of our society like this, the police are letting the terrorists control the agenda.