Avid photographers are kicking up a storm over the new security laws that were passed in Parliament yesterday.
Well, they have valid reasons for doing so.
Under the new law, buildings that are iconic, highly frequented or that house essential services will have to beef up protection.
New buildings will now be required to integrate security measures such as video surveillance, vehicle barriers and protection against blasts in their designs even before the building is constructed.
For buildings with renovation plans, owners or occupiers of developments must submit a security plan to the authorities for approval before going ahead with the construction works.
The new laws are timely, given the tragic mass shooting at Las Vegas which killed 58 people and injured nearly 500.
However, the new laws will also stop photographers from snapping photos at protected places or areas.
The maximum fines for offences will be raised from $1,000 to $20,000 under the new law.
So if a photographer accidentally takes a photo or video of a protected area, authorised officers will now have the power to issue a warning and ask him or her to delete the images.
If the photographer refuses to comply, the officer can take action against the individual.
While there is a list of places under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act (PAPPA), it has not been released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Without the list, photographers will be shooting blindly.
This has caused them to be understandably concerned.
Remember Darren Soh, the local photographer whose stunning images of lightning activity in Sembawang made it to international news?
He was also visibly shocked by the new laws as he believes that most security officers will choose to “err on the side of caution and become overbearing” towards photographers.
In his Facebook post that was shared 78 times, he noted that as it is, security personnel are already getting it wrong with photography in public places.
MHA should step forward to clarify these new laws which are too vague at the moment.
As of now, photographers can only rely on the map below.
