We should really applaud the Department of Aviation Prevention in their ability to have ever increasing activity and budget with a never improving achievement. Confiscating knitting needles from "little old dears" is not a result. Whatever they do is always "for security reasons" and aircrew are considered part of the problem. I do have a vested interest in their achievement: my passengers' and my crew's life. But, (niknak listen hard mate, you appear to be one of the problems!) aircrew are NEVER listened to. We "don't understand" I have been told. We have no security training (I can touch up another bloke as well as they can with no training - but I'd prefer to give it is miss thank you!) and don't have a full appreciation of the facts. And they do I suppose! In my experience, the only thing that makes these people special is that they are the only people who are únable to pass GCSE's. And in the 15 years that I have doing battle with these wenkers, not one has every worked out whether or not I'm actually meant to be there! And in my books, that's scandalous!