U.K. and Ireland - really shocked by what happened to me at Heathrow T4 security check

I was really shocked by what happened to me at security check last Sunday, terminal 4, in the fast track lane.

I was asked to remove some of my shampoo bottle/mouthwash/shower gel before X ray inspection (all of them were less than 100ml, but I had in two seperate plastic bags). I asked to see these cosmetics put in a bin (as they were new), which was accepted by the member of staff.

But this member of staff (who was before x ray inspection) then asked his colleague after x ray inspection to control my bag.
This inspection took a long time to begin.

As I was close to miss my flight, I asked if someone could inspect my bag, which was finally accepted by a manager after he checked my departure time on the screen.

I was moved to another inspection lane. Inspection was made by another member of staff (after some additional minutes to wait, as the manager had to ask again the lady to start inspection, who for some reason did not want to do it).

Surprinsingly, the second bag of cosmetics which was put in the bin was back in the tray :confused:

Then my bag was inspected. I was asked to put my things back into my bag, and the lady moved to another place.

I then ran to the gate.
Arrived in Paris, I can see now that many things are missing: a brand new camera, cables, etc.

I can perfectly understand that security is an important matter. But in this case, I really have the feeling that thorough inspection has been done only because I asked to see my cosmetics destroyed.

This attitude generates useless stress to passengers, and I now have no camera (with pictures of my last trips), among other things, and I am very sad about it.

You aren't allowed two liquid bags. It is standard policy in the UK for any hand luggage found in violation of the rules to be hand-searched and swabbed for explosive trace detection. This is not a retaliatory search.

I suspect you may have omitted to check you had all your bins and belongings accounted for because you chose not to leave enough time for security screening and had to rush to your flight. Your items are probably in lost property at T4; just give BAA a call.

What stifle said. ^

Your items are probably in lost property at T4; just give BAA a call.

Thanks for your comments.

My bag containing my camera was found "empty" by Lost and Found Service, and I have no news about the other items.

It's not quite true about the two bags, but it is for LHR (Some of the smaller, friendlier airports are a bit more pragmatic about such things).

And sorry to hear you've lost your camera - it's often not so much the camera, but the loss of the pictures which were irreplaceable :( While it's unlikely that Security staff took them, it's also not impossible (or a passing passenger could have stolen it too :mad: ). You are probably back in Paris now, but you could try reporting the camera as stolen and see if the CCTV tapes are still avaiable - if it was security staff, it would be nice to think they would be caught.

It's not quite true about the two bags, but it is for LHR .

Eh? :confused:

How can it not be quite true when it is? :D

You aren't allowed two liquid bags. It is standard policy in the UK for any hand luggage found in violation of the rules to be hand-searched and swabbed for explosive trace detection. This is not a retaliatory search.

I suspect you may have omitted to check you had all your bins and belongings accounted for because you chose not to leave enough time for security screening and had to rush to your flight. Your items are probably in lost property at T4; just give BAA a call.

^

Eh? :confused:

How can it not be quite true when it is? :D

I think the intended meaning was that LHR would be strict about not permitting a second liquids bag to be carried by a passenger, but some other airports might let it slide.

Eh? :confused:

How can it not be quite true when it is? :D
If you read the comment in brackets, you might have understood :rolleyes:

I think the intended meaning was that LHR would be strict about not permitting a second liquids bag to be carried by a passenger, but some other airports might let it slide.

If you read the comment in brackets, you might have understood :rolleyes:

No I'm just not accepting that....as the OP was travelling through LHR and never mentioned any other UK airport then the comment about two bags not being allowed was not "quite true" but true. :p

You can accept it or not as you chose. But it is the case that others in the thread had referred to UK policy - and it is both true and not true that that is UK policy. It's true because that is actually the policy, but also not true as it may be applied a bit more pragmatically in other airports than LHR where you may be allowed more than one bag.

If you want to say the rules are always entirely enforced in all airports in the UK, then I can present my own experience that this is not the case.

You can accept it or not as you chose. But it is the case that others in the thread had referred to UK policy -

Only LHR liquid policy was mentioned before your "not quite true" comment. Your statement about the two bags rule not quite being true could be misconstrued by others not familiar with the rules as meaning that you might get away with two liquid bags at LHR which is clearly not the case.

Only LHR liquid policy was mentioned before your "not quite true" comment. Your statement about the two bags rule not quite being true could be misconstrued by others not familiar with the rules as meaning that you might get away with two liquid bags at LHR which is clearly not the case.
Only by people who fail to notice the explanation in the bracket.

And I'm afraid your statement is incorrect. Stifle's post (the second in the thread) clearly references UK policy.

Only by people who fail to notice the explanation in the bracket.

And I'm afraid your statement is incorrect. Stifle's post (the second in the thread) clearly references UK policy.

Ah but that was for UK policy on searches not liquids.....;)

nicolas75, I'm sorry for what happened to you. Please let us know if anything more (than the empty bag) shows up.

But I'm even more sorry about the reactions here. Everybody here seems to care more about whether the OP was right in bringing two bags than about the loss of his equipment. :td:

nicolas75, I'm sorry for what happened to you. Please let us know if anything more (than the empty bag) shows up.

But I'm even more sorry about the reactions here. Everybody here seems to care more about whether the OP was right in bringing two bags than about the loss of his equipment. :td:

Self righteous piffle.

It goes without saying that we feel sorry for the loss of the OP's belongings.....I don't see anyone laughing? :confused:
Looks to me when the issue of the OP having two bags came up one thing led to another thus resulting in the loss of his belongings.
As has been pointed out one bag of liquids is the rule at T5 security and if the OP had stuck to the rules he wouldn't have had any problem whatsoever.

Sounds like TSA at the very least delayed the search, meanwhile because OP's stuff was out of his sight, it was rifled and stolen. Why's it hard for some of you to believe a TSA employee might be petty, vindictive, or a thief?

Sounds like TSA at the very least delayed the search, meanwhile because OP's stuff was out of his sight, it was rifled and stolen. Why's it hard for some of you to believe a TSA employee might be petty, vindictive, or a thief?

We don't have TSA employees here in the UK...

We don't have TSA employees here in the UK...

Yes, that's not what you call them, but don't you have bad apples like our TSAs?

Yes, that's not what you call them, but don't you have bad apples like our TSAs?

There are one or two bad apples in every barrel but I don't see how you can jump to the following conclusion from the OP's post. There are numerous possibilities as to why the items were not in the OP's possession when he got back to France

meanwhile because OP's stuff was out of his sight, it was rifled and stolen

There are one or two bad apples in every barrel but I don't see how you can jump to the following conclusion from the OP's post. There are numerous possibilities as to why the items were not in the OP's possession when he got back to France

Because that what seems most likely in lights of so many other FT experiences, news stories and arrests.

Because that what seems most likely in lights of so many other FT experiences, news stories and arrests.
But the vast majority of those reports concern the TSA.

You cannot automatically assume that just because the TSA has an extremely bad reputation, that all airport security everywhere in the world has the same reputation. BAA runs their own security, it is not carried out by a government agency whose workers believe they are law enforcement officers, out to punish all challenges to their authority.

BAA staff aren't perfect and nor are they all good either. But in my interactions with them, they seem massively more human that that which I read of in the US.

(Well except STN. But they have a horrible system to work with).

[QUOTE=

BAA runs their own security, it is not carried out by a government agency whose workers believe they are law enforcement officers, out to punish all challenges to their authority.

BAA staff aren't perfect and nor are they all good either. But in my interactions with them, they seem massively more human that that which I read of in the US.

(Well except STN. But they have a horrible system to work with).[/QUOTE]

Thank you, I appreciate that you've given me a serious, informative answer.