Snapshot of a sick-minded society

London mayor Ken Livingstone and the Metropolitan Police have alerted the public to perverts taking photos of children in public places. Is this a 'thought crime'?

The concerns of the mayor and the police relate to the development of digital cameras and camera phones. According to Livingstone, if someone was discreetly snapping children in the park or on the street in the past, the authorities could be alerted when the films were submitted for processing. But now, such pictures can simply be downloaded to a computer and printed out at home. Apparently, there are 12 people awaiting trial for incidents last summer. Now the Met will use undercover operations and state-of-the-art technology to trap alleged paedophiles in the act.

The question is: what harm has been caused? It is, of course, wrong for children to be forced into sexual situations, or for parents to be harassed by some weirdo taking pictures of their kids in the park. But if someone photographs another person secretly in a public place, in what sense are they injured? These fears seem as irrational as the Native American idea that having your photo taken steals a part of your soul.

Even if people can be identified as taking these photos, it is unlikely that there will be anything illegal about the photos themselves. Courts could impose a sexual interpretation upon the pictures. By these counts, it's not what someone does that matters, it's not even what they think they are doing. It's what the courts think they are thinking that will count. If convictions follow, the question will be: who's got the sick mind? More to the point, what purpose is served by adding to the long list of parental fears?

Paedophile warning in London's parks, This is London, 17 May 2005