Removed from perimeter fence at Glasgow

[litkid_2000]

I was doing my usual "standing my the perimeter fence at Glasgow observing the aircraft routine" this afternoon when an airport Security guard came up to us and asked us to move away from the perimeter fence. He only asked us to move back a few feet, perhaps 6 ot 7 feet back from the fence.

Why was I asked to move? I have done this hundereds of times but have never been asked to move back.

Any reasons?

[Pilot Pete]

perhaps he had worked out the range of your SAM-7 and realised those extra 7ft would mean it would run out of fuel before reaching it's target?;)

PP

[PaperTiger]

For 'security reasons', you fool ;)
Further discussion ist verboten.

[MerchantVenturer]

litkid_2000,

Were you standing on airport property or on the public highway (or public pavement/verge)? If not on airport property the airport security guard has no jurisdiction whatsoever.

I was standing on the grass verge at the junction of the southern car park entrance and A 38 road last summer at BRS. A jobsworth security man drove up and told me I was on airport property. I walked three paces forward towards the A 38 still on the grass verge and told him that I was now on the public highway.

He drove away.

This summer I was standing at the west end of the airport perimeter in a public lane outside the security fence at BRS. The local police who have an armed presence at BRS also patrol the perimeter public roads in vehicles. They politely checked me, recorded my details, and said they regarded regular spotters (not that I am) as a valuable resource in the event of an incident. They have built up a data base of regular spotters.

[litkid_2000]

I wasn't on the airport's property at all. I was on a piece of farm land! Private road. There were about 20 cars there, and the security bloke in his red Land Rover - with the flashy orange light --was telling us all to move back.

I take your point about the extra 7 feet Pete :ok:

[MerchantVenturer]

litkid_2000

Had I been there I would have politely told him that I was on private land not owned or controlled by the airport, and I would have asked him his rationale for making the request.

If his response seemed reasonable I may well have acceded to it -voluntarily!

If not I would have told him he had no jurisdiction over me and if there was a real problem with my being there, security or otherwise, I would wish to deal with the responsible authority, ie the police.

[sugarbird]

The word 'Security' is becoming overused as an excuse by persons with little brainpower and common sense.

A legally trained friend has advised me of action to take in circumstances outlined here and elsewhere.

- consider what you are being told and by whom
- if you are on airport land do as they say if they ask you to move
- if you are on public land you need not move, you should certainly not move if by doing so you place yourself in danger, eg stepping onto a road
- ask the person doing the telling the reasons for doing so. You should also ask for their name, rank and contact number. An I'D card should be checked that the photo matches the face and that its not out of date. If legit no "security" person should a problems with this. If the person refuses note details of vehicle, person etc and consider making a complaint to the airport authority or the police.
- above all be polite and don't lose your cool

[MerchantVenturer]

sugarbird,

Your legally trained friend and I seem to be on the same wavelength over this one.

You have summed up his advice admirably and I like the bit about remaining polite and cool - very important in these circumstances.

In litkid_2000's case I would write to the airport asking on whose authority their security guard told me and others to move away from private land.

My gut feeling is that the guard or his supervisor took it upon themselves to act unilaterally for some reason. Security guards generally receive minimal, if any, legal training and often use bluster to get by. It's not always a pleasant job and is not well paid. Consequently the standard of employee can be variable - to put it kindly.

Airports must be able to ensure that security is not compromised but equally they and their agents must remain within the law in the accomplishment of this very important task.

[Sheep fancier]

"I wasn't on the airport's property at all. I was on a piece of farm land! Private road. There were about 20 cars there, and the security bloke in his red Land Rover - with the flashy orange light --was telling us all to move back."

Same airport, different location today. Standing at the crash gate today just to the west of the Loganair hangar and with my car parked 20 feet from the gate but on the road leading to the gate (but not blocking it) I caught out of the side of my eye BAA Security in a white people carrier type approaching, I thought, "oh oh, he's gonna ask me to move." Turned around and he was driving off in the other direction. Maybe you just got the wrong guy on the wrong day.

SF

"I was doing my usual "standing my the perimeter fence at Glasgow observing the aircraft routine" this afternoon when an airport Security guard came up to us and asked us to move away from the perimeter fence. He only asked us to move back a few feet, perhaps 6 ot 7 feet back from the fence."

Just remembered, about 20 years ago on the very same road to Yonderton Farm a cop informed me it was "a private road and I wasn't allowed to be there." He then asked me to move on, I did, reluctantly, as I knew it wasn't.

SF

[MerchantVenturer]

SF,

If anyone is standing on non-airport land but blocking an emergency exit/entrance to the airport they could obviously expect the airport authorities, probably in the form of security people, to point this out and ASK them to move. Any reasonable person would do so. However, the airport would have no legal jurisdiction to physically stop such a person if he chose to be awkward, but would have to summon the police who would have the necessary powers to deal with the matter.

In normal circumstances the police do not become involved in trespass on private land unless a breach of the peace is likely to be engendered. It is a civil matter not a criminal one.

There are certain circumstances and certain property where the law makes trespass a criminal offence, but this only applies in a very small number of situations.