5 ms·

London is pretty bad too, but we don't have intimate pat-downs yet.

• StavrosK 16y ago
  The most I saw in Heathrow was that they made me take off my shoes, and they wouldn't really make a fuss about it if you didn't do it. The only time they made me take my shoes off was when they found a swiss army knife in my hand luggage (I absent-mindedly took it, along with 15 kg of stuff, from my checked luggage because they were too heavy). Even with a pretty large knife in my luggage, what happened was that I had to go through the metal detector with shoes off, and then I had to wait for the police for 20 minutes. They were very polite and told me that there would be no problem if the knife wasn't a "locking" knife (no idea why that's a problem), but they just kept it and let me go. However, I imagine I didn't look like the typical terrorist, with four bags bursting with clothes as hand luggage.
  • eru 16y ago
    Locking knifes are probably forbidden in Britain.
    • StavrosK 16y ago
      The police said they are illegal, but I don't know why they make a distinction. It wasn't some sword, it was just one of the large swiss army knives.
      • Waywocket 16y ago
        If it has a blade longer than 3 inches, then you need a 'good reason' to be carrying it in public. If not, then under normal circumstances (rule 7 applies) it's fine so long as the blade is capable of folding. A locking catch is fine, but a fixed blade isn't. It seems safe to assume it's just the fact that you were planning to carry it on to a plane that made them unhappy.
        • StavrosK 16y ago
          Hmm, I see. I don't know exactly how long it was, but it was maybe 2.5-3 inches. The fact that I was carrying a server, 20 liters of LEGO and a backpack with 3 laptops and another one with underwear probably made it look quite nonthreatening.
          • nkassis 16y ago
            I'd have inspected the legos. that seems suspicious enough ;p
            • StavrosK 16y ago
              They X-rayed them, they were just mindstorms. Little did they know that they assemble into a killbot, muhahaha.
              • khafra 16y ago
                Hrm. I wonder if you'd be allowed to take a 3-d printer with a portable power source and feedstock onto an airplane.
      • Kliment 16y ago
        I had no problem carrying a longsword into and out of the UK. I called the London police in advance to ask if it was an issue, and they asked me whether I could conceal it on my person. Since I could not (it's a longsword), it was not classed as a knife and so was no problem.
        • StavrosK 16y ago
          Did you take it on the plane with you? If so, I can imagine doing some damage with it...
          • jrockway 16y ago
            I can imagine doing damage with my laptop battery, too: http://xkcd.com/651/ http://xkcd.com/651/
          • Kliment 16y ago
            It was a train trip, my point was that the UK authorities see much more threat in a knife than in a sword.
            • StavrosK 16y ago
              In all fairness, it's much easier to hurt someone with a knife than with a sword, if only for the fact that they'll see it coming.
              • Kliment 16y ago
                Given I practice with both, this is very true. And it's not just that they see it coming. But the parent to my original comment was noting it was just a pocketknife, not a sword or something. A small knife can do way more damage at close range, is nearly impossible to parry when in distance, and moves crazy fast. The saying goes that if you get into a knife fight, you will get cut, and you might die. Regardless if you win the fight. EDIT: I now notice it was you that made that original comment, so I'll answer that: A knife that opens with little effort and then locks into place allows for one-handed arming and stabbing, without the risk that the blade will snap back and cut the user. It also enables a blade the length of the handle to be stored in space slightly more than the length of the handle itself. A blade of the length of your typical pocket is considered sufficient to easily cause fatal damage even when used by an untrained fighter. In many countries there are exceptions for knives that require two hands to open, or where the blade must be held in place during usage or where the blade is below some set total length. The UK has fairly strict restrictions on knives in general, so most of those exceptions do not apply.
    • rwmj 16y ago
      Not sure why you were modded down, since several types of knives are illegal to carry around in public (not to possess on private property or to carry around well packed such as in original secure packaging though). Flick-knives have been illegal since forever (in fact since 1959 according to Wikipedia - responding to the threat of "teddy boys"!). Locking knives that open under gravity and lock are also illegal. http://www.bkcg.co.uk/guide/law.html http://www.bkcg.co.uk/guide/law.html
• joezydeco 16y ago
  I flew through Heathrow post-Lockerbie and was running late for my fight. I kept glancing at my watch and getting pretty nervous at possibly missing the boarding window. A guard nearby saw my body language and pulled me aside instantly. There was a table set up right next to the counter where they did an immediate search of my luggage, asked questions, where was I, etc etc. Nothing harsh, very polite, and I'm sure my reactions and body language were being watched the whole time. Afterward I was given my place back in line with a thanks. That is how airport security should be. I know Israel takes it even 10 notches higher than this, and it seems to work just fine.
• loewenskind 16y ago
  You don't need 'em. You have the mandatory strip-search-scanner right?