THE war on terror has made us paranoid.

What other explanation can there be after a father was quizzed by police for innocently taking photos of his daughter eating an ice-cream in a shopping centre.

The police may have been within their rights to quiz him for security reasons, but what happened to good old-fashioned common sense? It is apparent to anyone who uses the public transport system, whether by land, sea or air, that the authorities select easy targets to prove they are carrying out security.

The Glasgow shopping centre is apparently now reviewing it’s policy – not in the interest of national security but out of fear of being boycotted by shoppers who are fed up with being bullied under the alleged pretense of preventing terrorism.

Profiling and intelligence-led operations should be the basis of such checks. Policing is heavily dependent on consent and goodwill, both of which are being eroded by inane actions.

Colin T Mortimer, Pity Me.