Lady taking photos at the park - concerned

[supasoup]

Yesterday at the park me and my ds was just leaving when a lady stood and took a picture of a little boy on his bike. I thought they were together but then the Lady thanked the mother of the child and walked away.

I smiled at the lady with the child and she asked me if that lady asked for a picture of my ds. I said no and laughed. Apparently the lady had spent the last 30 minutes walking round taking random pictures of children some from a distance some close up. No one questioned her.

Now I'm worried that she has pictures of my ds and many others without any consent.

What can I do about it?
Now I'm worried!

[supasoup]

[quote Jerima]@supasoup they might come and arrest you now for wasting their time[/quote]
😂

Thank you all for your inputs. I will not be responding again to this thread as it's sorted now. Please be vigilant when out and about with your children.

[HundredMilesAnHour]

What a total waste of police time.

[Kazzyhoward]

@supasoup

Also, if anyone else is ever concerned about this the lady I spoke to on the phone took it seriously and didn't make me feel like I was being silly to report it.

But she'll have filed it under "n" for nutter.

[me4real]

Do you know all the males in my family? What a ridiculous comment!

@supasoup It's not OP. Statistically children are far more likely to be abused by male family members than anyone.

We don't have to know them to say that- hardly anyone ever thinks a family member is doing this or going to do this after all. If a family member was an extreme and decade-long abuser of a child in the family, you would probably feel exactly the same about them as you do now. You wouldn't imagine it of them at all. That's the way it goes. Usually it's not apparent someone's a familial child abuser, or even a dodgy acquaintance, or anyone. They don't have 'Nonce' written on their forehead.

Thinking abouut it, an actual paedo probably would've acted more sneaky than that woman did.

[Dindundundundeeer]

If you let your son go home with some random, you should be concerned. His digital image? Not so much.

[PandoraP]

Just wait until your child is in their teens and will be all over Instagram or snap chat and whatever exists when they get to that age.

[Hellocatshome]

But she'll have filed it under "n" for nutter. not the police but I did work for bother organisation where people used to phone to report things. I got very good at pretending to write things down

[SavoyCabbage]

You could get your ds a little stick on moustache for when he’s out and about.

I was once working in a school and we had a new set of textbooks and after a few weeks it was noticed that there was a photo of our caretaker walking down the street in one.

[MrsEko]

Do you know all the males in my family? What a ridiculous comment!
It's not ridiculous, it's a statistic.

[Birminghambloke]

@supasoup

I have reported it to the police. It may be legal and innocent but why take the risk.

A day later and when you know the parent gave permission for the photo? You say you’re worried your child was photographed- surely you’d have seen this when supervising your child?
Regarding the family comment by PP, it’s statistically. Not necessarily your family (but how would any of us know really) but across families.
What is really bothering you to have this reaction when you’ve also received the responses you have?

[peaceanddove]

I suspect the OP really rather enjoyed the drama that she totally self generated about this none event.

[knittingaddict]

@supasoup

I have reported it to the police. It may be legal and innocent but why take the risk.

Well that escalated quick. Ignored all the posts on here, did you?

[CustardySergeant]

Maybe she's an artist and was going to go home and choose a scene to paint from one of the photos.
How would you feel about someone doing that, OP? Is it OK if there are people, including children, in paintings of scenes such as a park on a summer day?

[knittingaddict]

Please be vigilant when out and about with your children.

Oh gosh op, would never have thought of that without your imput.

What did the police say?

[CandyLeBonBon]

@supasoup

I have reported it to the police. It may be legal and innocent but why take the risk.

You are fucking kidding me? 🙄

[Mamanyt]

Openly and publically? Not an issue. It isn't as if the photographer were hiding in the bushes. In a public place like this, there is no "expectation of privacy." You're over-reacting a bit.

[Hallyup6]

What a waste of police time. I hope there isn't a single photo of your child on social media...

[CrunchyKnot]

I don’t think it is legal to take pictures of minors in public places, is it? Doesn’t this lead to potentially safeguarding issues?

[Mamanyt]

@MrsEko

Do you know all the males in my family? What a ridiculous comment!
It's not ridiculous, it's a statistic.

It certainly is a statistic. And here are the numbers:

Approximately 30% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members. The younger the victim, the more likely it is that the abuser is a family member. Of those molesting a child under six, 50% were family members. Family members also accounted for 23% of those abusing children ages 12 to 17.9

And it need not be a male, either. Women also sexually abuse. It's rarer, but it happens.

[Imnothereforthedrama]

Are you absolutely sure she didn’t tell the mother why she wanted to take a picture? I mean she asked for permission you say can I take a picture of your child it’s for a art project for example and even if she didn’t you’d ask why .
I can’t believe someone said can I take a picture and she said ok and that was that .
Also to add if the op is worried that someone has pictures of her dc I doubt it considering she asked the other parent permission.
I personally think the op has her wires crossed and is thinking the worse .

[Wanttocry]

@CrunchyKnot

I don’t think it is legal to take pictures of minors in public places, is it? Doesn’t this lead to potentially safeguarding issues?

It is legal.

www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/report/taking-photographs-in-public-places/

[happydays2345]

😂😂 Seriously OP 😂😂

[ChittyChittyBangBangChicken]

I am extremely cautious and vigilant, but someone taking photos at a park, especially after asking for permission, doesn't seem like a serious cause for alarm. It's artistic candid shots of people enjoying a park! That's nothing remotely suspicious, unless they were interacting with the children inappropriately, trying to learn their names and addresses, or following them home.

[Jerima]

When my DD was in year 6 one of the girls took a picture on their phone of a boy in the class at a bus stop. They then circulated the picture and when the boy's mother, who was also some big name on the PTA, found out she demanded that the teachers check all of the children's phones and made them delete the image.

They didn't inform parents of this and I only found out when my DD came home saying MR teacher had asked to look in her phone and she pretended she had left it at home.

She deleted the picture because they boy was her friend and asked her to but if she hadn't there was nothing anybody could have done about it except had the hump

[eurochick]

So you reported completely legal behaviour to the police? What next, reporting ice in the freezer to the fire brigade?