Thanks for that.

Investigative policing should be applauded, but I worry about the creeping amount of information the police have, and want.

We already have the largest DNA database in the world, and the most CCTV cameras. The police are very keen for ID cards as they would then have all kinds of biometric and non-biometric data at their fingertips. A recent head policeman has called for all our DNA to be taken at birth for the police database.

As a result I cant help but be a bit suspiscious when police are carrying what amounts to a census of our area - asking who lives in each house, writing down names, asking who feels suspiscious of which neighbour etc. After they finish this they will draw up a database of sorts with all the possible houses in SE23 that they would consider 'suspiscious', and act accordingly.

The balance between protecting us from crime and creating a surveilance state is a fine one. Before anyone says 'if you're not guilty you've nothing to worry about', for me it is above all a point of principle: as a point of prinicple I do not want to live in a police state.

...apologies for rambling post!