Bulky jacket syndrome

David Mery was stopped and searched on a London Underground platform, arrested, handcuffed, taken to a police station, questioned, his possessions taken away, fingerprinted, photographed, DNA swab. The usual. While in detention his flat is searched under powers given to the police by the Terrorism Act. Finally, he is released on police bail, on his own recognizance. The usual. Later? Case dismissed. This is the scary part:

Under current laws the police are not only entitled to keep my fingerprints and DNA samples, but according to my solicitor, they are also entitled to hold on to what they gather during their investigation: notepads of arresting officers, photographs, interviewing tapes and any other documents they entered in the police national computer (PNC). So even though the police consider me innocent there will remain some mention (what exactly?) in the PNC and, if they fully share their information with Interpol, in other police databases around the world as well.

In other police databases around the world... oh, oh. Time to wield out Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892-1984), a supporter of Hitler from 1933 until he (Niemöller) was arrested in 1937. In 1945 and in years thereafter, he made the following observation. There are various versions but this is, historically, the most accurate:

First they came for the communists,
I did not speak out
because I was not a communist.

When they came for the social democrats,
I did not speak out
because I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists
I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews
I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew;

And when they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.