December 8, 2009

Publishing pictures of burglars as revenge

Filed under: General,Photography by Orangemaster @ 11:44 am


Interestingly enough, Amsterdam’s local television station AT5 got part of this story wrong and here I am to set it straight.

Two men caught on CCTV at restaurant lounge Canvas in Amsterdam on 13 November where I just happen to DJ once a month stole expensive CD players (not turntables, which are way heavier and worth three times less). The building is apparently plagued with theft and the guy who hires me says he actually understands how easy it is to steal their stuff, but not anymore, as I had to replug everything myself before my gig.

Why be bold and print the burglars’ faces on a flyer? Simply because the police are totally indifferent to this kind of theft, and sadly I think rightly so, as it’s not breaking and entering. Is it legal to spread this flyer around? Yes it is, I checked and the local TV station thought it wise to blur their faces to protect themselves just in case. If the thieves didn’t want to be on film, they should have hid their faces or not committed a crime. Imagine my surprise when I saw a very different flyer this month, thinking some hiphop group was in town.