Knock, knock

Yesterday, I received this slightly Orwellian notice...

Though it is a little eerie, nothing will come of it -- there's simply no TV in our flat!

On another note, the UK is often derided as a "hyper-surveillance society" but I really feel more free here than I often do at home. To explain: yes, there are CCTV cameras EVERYWHERE, and no, their ubiquitous presence don't make me feel particularly safe. The cameras are nearly all passive, so they'd only be of use after a crime's already been committed (plus, their deterrence factor is questionable).

What makes me feel 'freer' here is the behavior of the UK police. Unlike their American counterparts, UK police (at least here in Cambridge, and I've seen them in London, too) are almost always only seen on foot, strolling around on their beat, and usually in pairs. They don't tend to glare from their cars at passers-by and they maintain their cheery dispositions and eager helpfulness even in dreadful weather. When you speak to them, they're uniformly sympathetic, not recalcitrant, suspicious or hostile like many US police.

You feel freer because while it's not "okay" or socially encouraged to be drunk in public in the UK, it's also not an activity that will get a cop breathing down your neck -- as it would in the US, unless you're on Bourbon Street. You feel freer because the police don't launch SWAT raids against the 15- and 16-year olds smoking marijuana in the park; they're more likely to either ignore them, wisely recognizing that it's a temporary adolescent phase, or issue a caution or notice, not an arrest.

In contrast to the states, where the police try to protect you from yourself, police in the UK seem to concentrate more on protecting you from others. We could learn a few things from our friends across the pond.