No Joking Matter

[Wod]

Obviously the message still hasn't got to some people.


An Australian man's joke about a bomb in his luggage turned sour at a New Zealand airport.
The 44-year-old from Sydney faces charges of breaching the Aviation Act after his attempt at humour sparked a security alert today at Hamilton Airport, south of Auckland.
Airport staff had asked him why he had wandered away from his luggage and he told them there was a ticking bomb in one of his bags.
Realising his attempt at humour had backfired, he told the security officers that he was only joking.
Police said that the arrest was a reminder of how seriously security around airports was taken.

[Hugh Jarse]

Remember - You can't say "bomb" on an aeroplane...

"Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb ba bomb!" (to the words of Barbara Ann by the Beach Boys) :rolleyes:

God help us.:ugh:

[ZK-NSJ]

have him watch as the army bomb disposal team blows his bags to smithereens, and then bill him for the cost, then ban him from flying, nice long 4 day boat ride home, then see how funny he finds it

[Worrals in the wilds]

Let's see if he makes any jokes about cavity searches next? http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/smile.gif
What I love about these warbs is that they always think they're the first person to have ever thought of the joke before, despite the last original cavity search/ticking bomb /cash declaration/quarantine/criminal requirement to enter Australia jokes having been done at the dawn of international aviation in about 1925 and endlessly repeated ever since. :rolleyes::zzz:

If they could just be arrested for being bozos rather than 'security' reasons that disrupt a whole airport's day I wouldn't have a problem with it. Maybe being forced to cycle to all future destinations wearing a 'truckies are wusses' sandwich board would discourage them.

[Skystar320]

Typical, its a Sydney person!

[Capn Bloggs]

Well said, Eclan. Give the bloke a smack on the wrist. Jail? Ridiculous.

[flying-spike]

What, you mean it was a K1W1 after all?

[blueloo]

I have to say it is wonderful that our security (here, abroad anywhere) continues to have the ability to arrest the hapless idiots who make jokes.


Its just a pity they can't arrest the terrorists.


Maybe if they devoted their time to the important stuff things would be different.

[Worrals in the wilds]

Its just a pity they can't arrest the terrorists.
Which terrorists in Australia? What terrorist attack on our home soil are you referring to? As far as I'm aware there has been only one successful terrorist attack in this country since the eighties (on an off shore Australian embassy) and only a couple of attempts before then. While successful, the Bali bombing was not on Australian soil.

Idiots who make jokes are just a useful stats building resource. Fear of terrorism is a different matter; emotive, media driven and impossible to mitigate. Maybe the would be terrorists have already been arrested, maybe they never existed. Either way, we have had no terrorist attacks, so criticizing the national security organizations for not arresting terrorists seems a little unfair.

[Mach E Avelli]

Taking these guys to court is just a waste of taxpayer money. By all means boot 'em off the flight, so they do their dough. Same goes for drunks. Send them home. If bogans play up in a pub, the bouncers boot 'em out. Entry fee blown, punishment enough. But beyond that, airport security goons should take comfort that there may actually be some below them in the gene pool. Having doled out summary justice - let it go. A real terrorist won't be joking about bombs fer chrissake.

[Sunfish]

The subject has to be taken seriously since a mentally ill person could attempt to bring a bomb on board while at the same time confessing to it. It's a form of "crying for help", like certain unsuccessful suicide attempts.

[lowerlobe]

Which terrorists in Australia? What terrorist attack on our home soil are you referring to?
Worrals in the wilds,How about the Hilton bombing in Sydney?

[Worrals in the wilds]

She, actually ;). Lower Lobe, that's why I specifically used the eighties. It's also endlessly arguable whether the Hilton bombing was a terrorist attack. The offenders were never caught and no-one claimed responsibility for it, which is unusual with acts of terrorism as the whole idea is to publicise your cause and make people scared. There was actually a successful letter bomber in the eighties (Colin Dunstan), but he was an ex-ATO employee with a grudge rather than a member of a terrorist organization.

Much as bomb jokers annoy me I don't know that charging them actally achieves much. As Biscuit Chucker says, there's no shortage of idiots, and several prosecutions don't seem to have stemmed the tide. I like Mach E Avelli's solution, which Ansett used to do even pre 9/11.

[lowerlobe]

Worrals....
Although no single group claimed responsibility for the Hilton bombing it did achieve one aim of creating terror....plain and simple.

However,I agree that if a simpleton chooses to do something as is the topic of this thread then creating work for legal teams and then putting up with the cost of housing this person is too much...

As has been suggested simply blacklisting them from air travel in Australia for a set period of say 50 years with no refund for their money spent would probably be sufficient....

Perhaps also tattooing "I'm an idiot" on their forehead would also help.

[greenslopes]

Yesterday I was stopped from taking a Coffee through security as it posed a security risk........... Seemingly because the coffee is not in a sealed container, yet other people drinking a fizzy drink with a lid on were allowed.
Whilst making bomb remarks is so Passe, I can't help but identify with the frustration felt and idiocy dished out by the Security staff.
Lets face it, the people who make these inane rules and regulations have waited a long time to feel important.

Smile and wave..Just smile and wave:8

[the wizard of auz]

Baaaa............ Baaaaa. Look at all the silly little sheep.
How many Bombs have been intercepted while while being attempted to be loaded onto aircraft in Australia?. Probably the same amount as terrorists weeded out of the aviation game by the ASIC process.
Have you ever thought the guy was being sarcastic to the "dumb as dog****" security people?. they are absolute clowns with some sort of authority trip happening in their own small minds. Many experiences by many people will attest to this.
The risk of a terrorist act on Australian aircraft in Australia is so small as to be an acceptable risk, and of almost no consequence.
This just goes along with the whole suite of useless security measures forced upon us by a knee jerk reactionary government and hyped up by the media for stuffing on slow news days, that is gobbled up by the general public sheep that know no better.
Wake up you mob of sheep. :ugh::rolleyes:

[lowerlobe]

The risk of a terrorist act on Australian aircraft in Australia is so small as to be an acceptable risk, and of almost no consequence.
It's very reassuring to know that security experts are reading and posting on PPrune...:rolleyes:

I feel safer already......:E
How many Bombs have been intercepted while while being attempted to be loaded onto aircraft in Australia?.
How many bombs were used in 9/11?

So Wizard,you are suggesting we do nothing instead ?

As I said before the reason we have the security operatorsl we have is because we pay peanuts.

[blueloo]

Its just a pity they can't arrest the terrorists.
Which terrorists in Australia?

Thats my point!

We havent caught any yet!....we do catch a lot of jokers though don't we?

[BAZZA BOEING]

So Wizard of Auz you just let anyone that says they jokingly say they have a bomb in their bag on the aircraft do you? Maybe we should ask the other passengers if they still want to fly with this person onboard and see if the flight still leaves with them on it. As for the comment that no bombs have been found in the screening process I doubt that this information would be made public anyway and as the fact is that none have made there way on to any aircraft it must mean that the job must be getting done right by the security on the ground. :rolleyes: Bazza

[Worrals in the wilds]

Sorry blueloo, I see what you mean. :)
I thought you were saying that the nation was neck deep in unarrested terrorists because the relevant authorities were running around after loud mouthed bozos instead.

[RedTBar]

Its just a pity they can't arrest the terrorists.
Which terrorists in Australia?
Thats my point!

We havent caught any yet!....we do catch a lot of jokers though don't we?
Authorities have arrested a number of people in Australia for planned terrorist activities.

The reason why none have been caught at the airports might be because there is security there in the first place and they are unwilling to try.Instead they have tried other avenues.
I think the idea of airport security is to stop anyone from trying in the first place not to catch them.
To say that airport security is a failure because not one single terrorist has been caught is ridiculous.:rolleyes:

[psycho joe]

By definition, the ones who declare that they are carrying a bomb are not Jihadists (i.e. obviously don't want to die) So straight away you can say that they lack a certain dedication or conviction and are likely joking or just plain whimping out.

Either way, me thinks a swift and merciless public beating may be in order, delivered by none other than their fellow passengers, whom after years of dreary commuting, dealing with airport security and exhorbitant airport food prices are barely able to contain their pent up rage with the world. If t'was such an occurence on my flight the anarchist in me would love to p.a:

"Ladies & gentlemen t'is the cpt speaking the guy in seat XX has just threatened your lives with a bomb. The cabin crew are just now distributing handcuffs and rolled up newspapers so that you may conduct your own anger management thereapy. This free therapy session was brought to you by xxxxxx airlines." Followed by something apropriately creapy from the old testament "And you will Know my name is Joe when I lay my fingers upon thee."

Conversely:

Maybe rather than wait for someone to joke / admit they have a bomb; maybe security could just have guns levelled at all who enter the sacred "sterile area". The solution would be for security to ask everybody if they are carrying a bomb.

"Excuse me sir do you have any aerosols"

"no"

"Do you have laptop in your bag"

"Um No"

"Metal in your shoes"

"Uh..No"

"More than one lighter"

"Nope"

"Are you carrying a ticking time bomb"

"Yeh... ok you got me"

BANG BANG RAT-A-TAT TAT.

"Excuse me Madam, do you have any aerosols"......

[Angle of Attack]

I find it quite frightening that lot's of people have fallen for this security crap, a sign of the times I feel. At the end of the day Who gives a crap? (And I am talking to the real workers not some management idiots)

[Pera]

and several prosecutions don't seem to have stemmed the tide.

They don't seem to work for murder either but I don't think we should abandon the system.

[stumpy6]

I think the point here is that Aviation Security are to some degree reliant on a passengers verbal confirmation that they have nothing in their baggage that is dangerous or illegal to bring into a country, and so long as we have idiots who be sarcastic about the process, then its wasting AvSec time. But in all fairness, if some fool (like this guy) leaves his bags unattended, and then returns to the bags accompanied by AvSec stating that there is a bomb in them, you cant blame AvSec for arresting the guy.

Imagine if it was some loose nut who did actually have a bomb, and when the passenger makes a statement that he has a bomb security just shrug it off, and then the airport and all the passengers are blown to bits. Then AvSec are in the firing line.

You cant tell me that just by making a spot-assessment of the passenger that you should be able to tell whether they're a terrorist or not and then alter the security process based on your own judgement. Where other people's lives are involved, security must be taken pretty serious.

[RedTBar]

I find it quite frightening that lot's of people have fallen for this security crap,
So you are an exponent of no security?

[Blogsey]

We need some Israelification: The 'Israelification' of airports: High security, little bother - thestar.com (http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/744199---israelification-high-security-little-bother?bn=1)

[Shazz-zaam]

Reminds me of the hilarious airport and aircraft boarding scene from the Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro film "Meet The Parents".
By the way any news about the evacuation of 800 people from the Qantas buildings in Mascot due to a suspicious unidentified package?
I believe the Bomb squad may have been involved.
Am I allowed to use that word?

[lowerlobe]

I remember Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson (under Prime Minister John Howard) being interviewed after 9/11 about security at Australia's larger regional airports and one in particular....

It was obvious to anyone who was capable of walking upright that there was no security at all at this airport.Even with all of the current controversy about aviation security in 2010 there is still no security at this airport....

The only problem you had was the verbal questioning you had from the check in staff and what you were capable of carrying....

Deputy Prime Minister Andersons' reply ........"You would be surprised what security there is at this airport"....

It is like owning a house with the front doors equipped with 15 deadlocks and other security devices but the back door is not only unlocked it is wide open....

I don't think that there is any real distinction between the different political parties in Australia....they seem to be only concerned about be re-elected.

When are we going to get someone who is interested in what is good for the country instead of what is good for themselves and their party.....

[boofta]

He was there for a short time, his name was Turnbull.

[Groaner]

he was an ex-ATO employee with a grudge rather than a member of a terrorist organization

OK, time to lighten it up.

Surely ATO employees are members of a terrorist organisation???

OK, back to work now.