I've flown in over 55 countries, but the worst country to fly in (for me) is India because of the security check process. I almost always carry cameras & lenses. They make you take out every camera, every lens, spare batteries, power banks, etc., besides the usual things like laptops, belts, etc. It takes me a while to take all that [stuff] out. And then you have crowds of people pressing against you and sometimes they simply walk ahead of you as you're laying out everything that needs to be taken out. The worst is that you lose line of sight as you go through the body scanner and your trays go through on the conveyor belt. The lag between when you let go of your trays and when you're reunited with them could be several minutes and spatially distant depending on the airport and the crowds. I'm always nervous that an employee or a fellow-traveler can easily pick up a camera or lens. (I usually don't care about material stuff, but laptops, phones, cameras & lenses are very important to me.) Yes, there are security cameras all over and if someone were the swipe something from your tray there's a high chance that the perp will be caught, but who wants the hassle of complaining to the police and tracking down the perp when you're rushing to catch your flight? I once popped into the office of the head of security at one of the airports and talked to him about why people and their stuff aren't more or less synchronized as it is everywhere else in the world. He did admit that stuff gets stolen routinely and almost always the perp is caught. So I asked him, why they don't streamline the process? He smiled and shrugged.

The combination of draconian rules, disorienting crowds & lag between when you and your stuff get scanned makes flying in India to be particularly stressful for me. Never felt this level of stress anywhere else in the world.

So the question is: are there tricks/hacks you've figured out that can make the whole process less stressful?

If the thief is another passenger why would the probability of them being caught be high?

Lots of security cameras can help track the passenger's movements. Even if they manage to board a flight by the time they're identified, they could be detained at their destination, especially if it's a domestic flight, I'd imagine. This is, of course, in theory. I was assured by the officer I spoke with that they've been successful every time this has happened at that particular airport. The question is whether one can trust that assertion or not.

I think we've all seen enough video of incidents at the c/p to know that the video often just isn't that good. Whether it's poorly placed cameras, not enough coverage, or older equipment with low resolution, definitively identifying which passenger steals something from the belt isn't all that easy.

Naturally, that varies significantly from country to country, airport to airport, and even from c/p to c/p.

How many times have you experienced Indian security?

I am not from India but normally visit India (BOM, DEL or other cities) at least once every year and take around 20 other flights to Europe, North America (USA & Canada), Australasia (AUS & NZ and south and east asia) every year. Based on my experience, there are far worse countries than India regarding security checks (e.g. JFK and Gatwick). Also, you need to remember that, to avert the threat of terrorist attacks mainly from from neighbouring countries, Indian airports are extremely cautious and rigorous. Nothing wrong with that, I believe.

Anywhere from 5-15 flights every year for the last 2-3 decades in India alone. At least 11 different airports, both big and small. The issue is not rigorous security checks, but the often illogical process, lack of control over your belongings and the chaos. TLV has the most rigorous checks I've experienced, but the process is streamlined, fair (unless you're Arab, I suppose), and my belongings were always in my line of sight. Don't know about Gatwick, but JFK is better than going through the domestic terminal in DEL or PNQ or BOM. IXM, a really small airport, is the only stress-free exception I've experienced.