multi tool confiscated at STN

[Stan Sted]

I had a multi tool confiscated at STN two weeks ago at the start of a hol to Spain and wonder if there is any chance of getting it back.

Stupidly I had packed the tool (a bit like a £90 Leatherman but cheaper) in a flight bag instead of my suitcase and of course it was identified in the scanner.

The security woman who subsequently searched my bag said I could go back to the Buzz desk and ask for the tool to go in the hold but since my family's bags had been despatched about 35 mins earlier I thought there would be no point.

The woman said there was no way I could take it with me and that it would have to be confiscated and be disposed of by the police.

I am now tempted to nip round to the STN police office and ask if I could have the tool back. It's not a question of money ( I bought the stainless steel multi tool for £2.99 plus six gallons of petrol and it is an absolute bargain and just right for fixing bits on hired dinghies, windsurfers and the usual holiday emergency uses).

Are there any security experts out there who can rate my chances of getting it back?

[A and C]

Its in the toolkit of a BAA security person by now .

[RatherBeFlying]

If the security czars had any regard for the people who pay the bills, they would have a mail counter located in the screening area so that any "risky" objects could be mailed to home or destination with a minimum of fuss.

All it would take would be:
a stock of blister envelopes with marker pens
a credit/debit card scanner for those without local funds
maybe a photo copier for those in too much of a hurry to write down their address.
Mind you, this would seriously dent business for the shops at the other end;)

[Departures Beckham]

Normally when the item is confiscated you should be issued with a notice stating what will happen to the item:

1 - Carried by the airline to your destination.
2 - Held for thirty days at the airport and then disposed of.
3 - Disposed of by BAA.

If you have this form call BAA at the number printed on it or call the switchboard at 0870 000 0303 to see if they still have it.

[Stan Sted]

Thanks for that, Becks

I was not given any paperwork whatsoever. I shall be making further inquiries

[Lee-a-Roady Moor]

You might want to keep your fingers crossed if it's anything like Dublin! I heard that Aer Rianta have confiscated so many items deemed not suitable that they have little choice but to dispose of them. Apparently the numbers involved make it impractical to hold onto item(s) for reclaim. They do seemingly allow you to return to relatives/friends etc and give them the item to look after, and then allow you continue through security.

I am aware of people who have had items in bags - the usual nail clippers etc and have been asked to leave them behind. When asked if it was possible to collect the item(s) on return, the answer was a very definite no!

A way of life now - but probably for the better.

[Stan Sted]

I contacted the STN police station and was told there was no way I could have the offending item back.

I was told that "BAA security people hand over confiscated stuff to us and we put it all in a big bin which is taken to headquarters at Chelmsford for disposal. There is so much that it would be difficult to find your multi tool, sorry sir."

Interestingly, I was told that I should have been given a confiscation notice by the BAA secuirty people.

Wonder where the multi tool is now?

Must try to get another one. Seem to be many, many genuine Leathermen for sale on the E-Bay auction site on the net.

[hobie]

Multi tools as described come up in LIDL stores from time to time at a very reasonable price ...... I bet your own "Multi" will have gone to a good home!!!

[Agaricus bisporus]

I'd have thought that if BAA really are suposed to give you a confiscation notice and did not, and you have witnesses to prove it then they are contracturally negligent and you have a case for compensation.

Whether it is worth it is a different matter, but they if they are going to be so high-handed about security then they should damn well stick to the rules.

[aztruck]

Bit of a quandry for the swiss here. A small fortune was made selling swiss army knives etc at Zurich but now ....oh dear....
Zooooo...the Swiss very kindly remove the article which you have just purchased (and they have just confiscated) and pop it it a bag which they send to your home.
Somewhere there is a DHL 757 full of 'em...

[Stan Sted]

I spoke to a BAA security chief at STN and he said there was no chance of getting the multi tool back.

He said that although confiscation notices were issued when the regs were first introduced they caused so many delays, because so many were being issued, that flight departure times were affected.

The Government then stepped in, he said, and decided to withdraw the notices earlier this year. He said the Government felt that because there had been so much publicity about not taking sharp objects on aircraft, that the public should be completely aware of the rules.

So there we have it. If you make a mistake and put something sharp and valuable in the wrong bag, it is taken away and you can't have it back.

He said that an empty 50 gallon oil drum had been filled with stuff confiscated at STN since last September. Instead of confiscated stuff being held for 30 days under the original regs it is now being disposed of within three days.

Perhaps they ought to put them to good use like they did in the war when metal was melted down to make Spitfires. Perhaps this time they could be melted down to make Eurofighters!

[fobotcso]

I heard a figure of 6,000,000 items confiscated by BAA security people in UK in the last year.

Then there are the problems when returning from abroad - like my lad who forgot that his Swiss Army camping toolkit was in his pocket. Difficult I know considering that it was bigger than Linford Christie's lunch.

Pity they didn't spot the journalist's gun in his carry on at LHR/LGW (wherever) yesterday.:eek:

[TeeS]

A few months back I was strolling towards the Security point at Stanstead, contemplating the brain dead idiots who would no doubt be delaying everyone by not checking their bags for sharp implements. I was expecting my bag to be searched because the coils and wires of my headset would no doubt look suspicious on the X-ray machine. No surprise there then " Sorry Sir, but I will have to ask if I can inspect the contents of your bag" - "No problem" says I "Help yourself".

I was a little surpised when having found headset, log book etc. , he had not realised that I was a sound minded professional pilot and carried on delving ever deeper.

Items that I had last seen when doing my fixed wing conversion over a year ago came out - highlighters, felt tips "Oh God, where did I last hide the furry handcuffs and leather thong?" - It was worse than that, my old pussers knife with a four inch razor sharp blade on one side and four inch very sharp spike on the other, last seen three years or more ago.

I turned a colour of scarlet that I would only ever turn if my Mother had caught me purchasing furry handcuffs and a leather thong. The security man was very pleasant about it all and offered me the choice of having him dispose of it or checking my bag back in (no other options, they get too many). I decided on the check in option but when I got back to the desk there were still about 200 pax in the queue. However, W.H. Smith came to the rescue, 1 Jiffy bag and a book of stamps and my knife was on the way home without me.

Sorry to anyone who was in the queue behind me.

TeeS