InstantForum 2016-2 FinaltheForumhttps://forum.unlock.org.uk/theForumFri, 29 May 2026 21:53:49 GMT20https://forum.unlock.org.uk/FindPost36111.aspx<br/>It's mostly behind me now but as my adventure draws to an end I might was well share a positive experience I had with police halfway through.<br/><br/>In 2021 I was photographing my own back garden mid-summer, partly for the benefit of the landscape gardener and partly to show off to colleagues the "home office" I had constructed for myself at the bottom of it.<br/><br/>As I stepped out the front door later in the afternoon, the neighbour came out and accused me of photographing his children -- who had been barely discernible though the narrowly single-slatted fence. "you're suspect, keep away" etc. I was so dumbfounded I didn't even find the time to explain "well i was photographing for the landscape gardener etc". I honestly barely even remembered there had been any photographing of anything.<br/><br/>This was infinity percent the worst possible on-the-nose bad thing that could possibly have happened to me at that moment, given my historic conviction. <br/><br/>When the PPU turned up the next day (the neighbours must simply have phoned the police and it defaulted to them), they spoke to me as if they didn't believe a word from the neighbour. Even the division chief (my visitor's immediate boss, whatever we call it) had snorted derisively at the complaint, even though on paper at least, it is a type of activity I'm supposed to have form on. I handed them the digital camera with its digital "reel" still intact, showing the garden, chair setup etc, and it revealed the primary motive for photography and a fence through which nothing could be discerned from that many metres away. I even escorted the PPU to the kitchen to view the fence out my window and observe just how opaque it truly was.<br/><br/>When I remarked on how impressed as I was that they were so understanding so soon, they said something&nbsp; to the effect of "it's a lot more common nowadays" (referring to this type of paranoia).<br/><br/>I wonder if I ever suffered at all because of the complaint? I am a little surprised that after nearly 10 years their visits have remains consistent -- not decreasingly frequent like you often hear about --&nbsp; from the 2nd to the final year (this happened after 5 years). But there was no followup or anything, not even in terms of questions asked in future visits, except one question sometimes came up -- "no problems with the neighbours"?<br/><br/>Tue, 26 May 2026 17:05:15 GMTStersco83