"Over-Zealous" screening
Captain Planet said:
"Last week I was going through security in an international airport in Ireland,I had passed through security and was waiting for my colleague to do so,while I was waiting I witnessed 3 people walk under the arch,beep and walk of on their merry way without even an eyebrow raised by the 5 security staff posted on just that one machine,they were to busy huddled to one side chatting away to themselves to notice this"
My experience at an International Airport in Ireland was completely the opposite of the above.
While travelling as ordinary pax with the new Mrs EastCoaster (heading off on honeymoon as it happened), I encountered an "over-zealous"?? security agent at the Central Search area of the large international airport. Said security agent's eyes positively bulged and I'm almost certain I spied a smidgeon of drool collect at the corner of her mouth (in a manner not unlike Gollum when addressing the "Precious") when I removed an item from my pocket which had set off the magnetometer. The offending article was an expensive and rather shiny Zippo lighter which had been gifted to me by my new wife on the eve of our nuptials, and which I (rather foolishly) had forgotten to put into the tray for X-ray along with all of the other crap that was in my pockets!
On handing the lighter over for inspection to the agent I explained that it had already passed through airport screening three times, including the one presently being described, but that it had never been an issue for concern. The rather curt reply that I received was "I don't care what you say, I'm telling you that is NOT going through!"
I was very taken aback to say the least, and I'm ashamed to admit it but I capitulated far too easily, not wanting to make a scene in front of all the other pax waiting to go through, nor wanting to embarass Mrs EC.
It was a rather different story by the time we got to our gate, however. I was so angry by the manner in which we'd been treated, and Mrs EC was so upset at the loss (read theft) of her wedding gift to me, that I resolved that I was not going to take it lying down! And so I proceeded back up through the Departure area, through Immigration, down through Baggage Reclaim, out through Arrivals, back up through Departures (landside), and once more into the Breach (Central Search) [Obviously I didn't just take it upon myself to pass through all of these areas without first checking with another (more human) security agent that it was OK to do so].
Now, I knew that it wasn't illegal for me to bring the Zippo through to Departures (not very clever of me to try, admittedly; but it was an innocent oversight), but I wasn't going to make a whole song-and-dance about getting the thing back either. All I was interested in was getting the outer case returned, getting on my flight, and forgetting about the whole incident. I didn't care so much about the flammable bits that are found inside the lighter, they could always be replaced with similar from a cheaper model at a later date. I wasn't even going to write a letter of complaint about the affair (as had been suggested by the previously mentioned more-human agent) as nobody ever seriously follows-up on those anyway, and the complainant only ends up being branded a crank!
On arrival at the screening point the crews had been rotated, and I was met by another (again more-human agent) who listened intently to what I had to say, and then decided that I needed to see a supervisor. After much searching to no avail and numerous phone calls later, he was in the process of advising me again to write a letter of complaint, when a person whom I believe was the Airport Security Duty Manager showed up.
Again I had to recount the experience, to which the SDM listened intently, after which the aforementioned Zippo was returned to me (including the burny bits inside) with a profound apology for the manner in which my wife and I had been treated, along with an explanation that if it had been a cheap pressurised butane lighter the confiscation would have been legitimate and understandable. The SDM then asked me if I wished to make a formal complaint against the agent concerned, which I declined for the reasons detailed above; but when he asked me for permission to take the appropriate internal action against the agent concerned; well, you could have knocked me over with a feather!
I realise all of the above is slightly off-topic, but the point of it is: How many ordinary Joe Public pax have lost valuables (either sentimental or monetary) to occasional "over-zealous"/slightly-less-than-straight agents at airport security, because they're not familiar with or haven't checked the restrictions before travelling? Or because they are just completely bamboozled by the fog of often seemingly-contradictory (but always confusing) regulations?
On any other day I would have been just another one of those ordinary Joe Public's. I'd have said nothing and let it slide, all the while fuming with frustration! I was just unfortunate to come up against one such occasional "over-zealout", and I guess she was just unfortunate to come up against me on that particular day and in those particualr circumstances!!
I'm all for effective security and stringent screening if it is necessary, but I've found that there are some who are possibly willing to abuse their position for their own gain. Old news to all you seasoned travellers I know, but Beware. And don't forget, you can question their actions.