Originally Posted by B747-437B (Post 14514643)

Embarkation checks are routinely conducted on specifically targeted flights for various specific reasons related to criminal activity and have been so since time immemorial (long before SPOT was dreamed up). They are not on a fishing expedition by any means.

Originally Posted by B747-437B (Post 14516572)

:rolleyes:

"Well sir, our informant Bob who spies on this drug cartel for us, said that there was a guy heading out on this flight carrying ten kilos of cocaine shoved up his rectum. You wouldn't happen to know anything about things shoved up your rectum would you?"

Originally Posted by uk1

I was impressed with your signature line ....""Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Mark Twain " and you will therefore sympathise I'm sure and be ope minded when I say that we also live in a world where people choose to ignore .....

Perhaps you should google "behavior pattern recognition " as well as "screening passengers by observation techniques" and look a little more at how Ben Gurion Airport .... possibly the potentially most dangerous target airport in the world and how they have reduced risks impressively before concluding on the issue.

Originally Posted by N965VJ (Post 14517415)

TLV style security is not scalable.

Originally Posted by B747-437B (Post 14514643)

Special Branch at Gatwick (who I am very well acquainted with) are not engaged in anything remotely similar to the SPOT program. Embarkation checks are routinely conducted on specifically targeted flights for various specific reasons related to criminal activity and have been so since time immemorial (long before SPOT was dreamed up). They are not on a fishing expedition by any means.

Originally Posted by Jenbel (Post 14531472)

Or you could have been behaving in a manner which attracted his attention. Having several friends who are police, they are quick to notice behaviour which makes them wonder - but usually they're off duty, so don't pursue.

Originally Posted by Jenbel (Post 14531472)

Or he could have been using his interaction with you to watch someone else - you were a means to an end.

Originally Posted by Jenbel (Post 14531472)

But heaven forfend there was a reason other than bigotry for chosing to speak to you :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by Jenbel (Post 14531472)

But heaven forfend there was a reason other than bigotry for chosing to speak to you :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by polonius (Post 14514592)

Just had a troubling experience at LGW -- looks like they are introducing "SPOT" type programmes. After having my passport and BP checked as usual by the gate agent, I walked through into the waiting area and was approached by a man in a (very nice) suit and asked for my passport. I asked him who he was and under what a authority he was asking for it and said he was a "special branch" police officer and displayed his ID. He took my passport and then started asking me questions about my travels, what I do for a living, etc. I asked what he wanted the information for and he replied he was "interested in people who are travelling". I told him his "interest" was not reason enough for me to provide private information. He flipped through my passport and then said, "it looks like you travel quite a bit". I acknowledged that that was a conclusion one could reasonably reach from examining my passport. He then thanked me and I went on.

Amazing how ideas travel from one bureaucracy to another, no matter how stupid and pointless they are.

Originally Posted by Jenbel (Post 14531472)

Or you could have been behaving in a manner which attracted his attention. Having several friends who are police, they are quick to notice behaviour which makes them wonder - but usually they're off duty, so don't pursue.

Or he could have been using his interaction with you to watch someone else - you were a means to an end.

But heaven forfend there was a reason other than bigotry for chosing to speak to you :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by clrankin (Post 14532284)

Then wouldn't it be a reasonable action to gather evidence before confronting the person? Having something more than just a gut feeling would be handy to have before harassing people.

Originally Posted by clrankin (Post 14532284)

That still doesn't justify unwarranted, clearly unwanted harassment.

Originally Posted by clrankin (Post 14532284)

If the contact is unwarranted and unwanted, that's all that matters. Bigotry or not, it should be clear to the officer that the OP wanted to be left alone. Absent anything credible to act upon, the officer should have apologized politely and been on his way quickly.

Police are public servants; they would be well to remember the last part of that description.

Originally Posted by oldjonesy (Post 14534451)

Hope you inspected the badge closely and not just accept a "badge flashing".

There are some sickos who get their jollies out of impersonating police.

The fact he didnt identify himself straight away tells me that most people just comply with a request to hand over their passport when some person asks for it.