“If you see something….”

I’m bemused by all these “If you see something….” signs at some railway stations.   Just what are we supposed to be looking for?   I see that the slogan derives from the from the Americans, who limit it to terrorism but, even so, feel it necessary to qualify the campaign by stating,   “Factors such as race, ethnicity, national origin, or religious affiliation alone are not suspicious”.    But I guess abandoned backpacks qualify (in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings).

In any event, here we seem to have broadened the campaign to extend to all sorts of crime, in that it seems to be linked to Crimestoppers (although the Crimestoppers phone number isn’t on the banners).  But the message is so vague it could mean anything.  Perhaps that’s the idea?

Marcus Wong describes it as “scaremongering”, which may be a little harsh, but I do wonder whether it’s all a bit “over the top”.