I suspect most people think “metal detector” when they see “security check”. Documentation checks can occur at many points, from a shop wanting your boarding pa

I suspect most people think “metal detector” when they see “security check”. Documentation checks can occur at many points, from a shop wanting your boarding pass so they can claim the tax back, to the lounge to check your right of entry, to scanners at queues measuring waiting time, to checkin when dropping your bags Different people check different documents for different reasons. I’ve had a police passport check post X-ray at Manchester in the past, the U.K. doesn’t typically do exit checks, preferring to rely on API. Schengen does, but sometimes they don’t stamp you on the way out which can be a right pain^W brexit bonus. Then there’s all the loopholes, like Brussels-Lille on Eurosta, where I believe you can get a schengen exit stamp but never actually leave schengen (two tickets from Brussels, one to Lille, one to London, use the london one, get the stamp, but then leave at Lille with your Lille ticket. Perhaps done with an accomplice if the Lille ticket needs stamping at Brussels, I’ve never done that route before.