has anyone ever, in the history of time, been stopped by UK LHR customs?
 

this is just a random question, asked aloud. In my two dozen+ times entering the UK at LHR (T3), I have never seen a single person stopped or spoken to while exiting the green lane. The whole area (that has the inspection tables, etc) looks deserted.

What kind of security is this? It's in complete contrast to the situation in Australia which is highly visible and where they check all of your bags. Even in comparison to the US's relatively bare procedures, the UK is almost ridiculously non-existent.

Or maybe there are hidden measures? I just have never seen *anyone* being examined.

Nope - four or five times in the last eight years.

Notta, never, nope, .....

Please continue to follow in the UK Forum.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Yes!

Around 15 years ago. Coming through the green lane from New York.

I had a back pack and as I was emptying the contents the lady doing the inspecting pulled out a couple of leaflets I had on the top and asked me a couple of questions about the sights they were advertising/describing.

I didn't even need to empty more than a quarter of my bag. She seemed quite satisfied that I'd been to New York and spent my time there as a genuine tourist, I was certainly happy enough to talk to her about my trip. I think the whole process took no more than 5 minutes.


And at least once as an unaccompanied minor, with my brother, returning from Spain. My familiy used to load us up with booze and other dodgy goods before packing us back off to our parents in the UK. I think my brother was struggling with a carry on that was way too heavy for him so someone stepped into help and, naturally, the gig was up. My parents had to pay the excess. This was an exception, we were rarely checked.

Yes, have seen other people's things searched but never mine, not even when my plane was late and I was racing to catch my bus, raced through the Customs Hall almost yelling "please get out of my way" and the customs officials just stood aside.
On one occasion I had excess bottles of wine coming into MAN, had great difficulties finding someone to declare it to, eventually found someone, and was more or less told, go away and don't waste our time.

Yes a few times. Sometimes I travel with a large double rifle case like this. That seems to attract attention. No serious problems though beyond the questions and checks that seem appropriate to me.

A few times - even been questions at the airbridge once by HMRC, on return from AMS.

The one time I actually needed them, though, to get a carnet stamped, we were waiting for an hour in T1 arrivals...

There are definite hidden measures, though. Look for the two-way mirrors, the cameras... People behave differently when there's an official staring at them.

Once only, and i was travelling solo without checked luggage from the US so i guess that partly explains it. Was asked a few questions about my trip, like LapLap, and was allowed on my way. They didnt really search me.

A good friend of mine from my University days couldnt understand why he kept getting stopped each time he travelled to see his sister in Chicago. I had to point out to him that maybe as he's Nigerian, travelling solo and without checked luggage may raise a few eyebrows.

Never. Not even as a solo female traveller, arriving back from Colombia.

But while at university, a student friend of mine was stopped by them every time she entered the UK - she was arriving from AMS where her parents lived :rolleyes:

You'll find that the majority of bag search procedures are based on 'intelligence'.

The secrets are in your passport data. If you're going to be searched, HMRC will have likely decided to stop you even before arrive.

Once you arrive through passport control you'll be flagged having had your passport scanned (which of course identifies you), followed to the baggage carousel and upon trying to leave via the green channel you'll be asked to ''come this way''.

Unless you've experienced this before, you won't know the signs that you're being followed. Just watch out for the fateful nod ;)

so if this is true, what, they're only interested in people linked to organized crime or who have a record?

Overall, it just seems incredibly leaky to me.

Stopped 3 times in 20 years of regular flying; just questioned on 2 of those and on the other my case was looked through completely.

Not necessarily crime, but they particularly look at travel patterns and what ones purpose might be to travel to such places so frequently as well as trying to paint a picture of you the taveller yourself.

All it seems that HMRC are concerned with is the importation of contraband tabacco products.

HMRC profile to within an inch of their lives. They're all over the airport. I've seen one holding a wifi PDA videoing (and transmitting back to HQ) images of all passengers deplaning at the end of the bridge. They're behind the glass screens. They're watching all the CCTV. If they're bored they might pull an unwashed student with a backpack just on a fishing trip. But most of the time they're watching specific flights, specific people, and matching specific profiles. Most FTers won't be pulled, because most FTers don't fit the profile.

I've flown through LHR dozens of times and have never been stopped. In fact, in all my time travelling, I've only been stopped once, but that's a story for another time. (ADL, if you're interested.)

Stopping people based on intelligence seems rather less leaky than stopping at random, like they used to!

Also bear in mind that, being far less isolated than the antipodes, biosecurity is far less of an issue than over there (where you really don't want an x-ray to discover a stray apple at the bottom of your carry-on...)