Knife Checks at Railway Stations

[Neanderthal]

Had a bit of a shock on Friday night when leaving Carlisle railway station.

There was a heavy police presence and a walk through metal detector at the exit. They were checking for people carrying knives and the whole thing seemed fairly serious. I had to empty my pockets out into a tray and then walk through the detector.

I later spoke to a local lady and there was nothing going on in town that would trigger such a search so it seems that it was a random event.

I was heading to Bowness on Solway to backpack the Hadrians Wall Trail and my first thought was, "What sharps am I packing?". The last time I'd been out I was bushcrafting and was carrying my SFA and usual bushcraft tools.

The police officer passed my rucksack, with attached walking poles, around the detector without searching it.

Anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

Stu

 

[mr dazzler]

I had to appear in court at Ipswich a while back, they did a search with hand held detectors. I was told (like you were) to empty my pocket's first and place contents on plastic tray. Fortunately I didnt have my opinel or gerber in the pocket as I was wearing a proper jacket and tie etc BUT it caught me totally by surprise. It comes back to the same insulting innuendo doesnt it, if your carrying a knife your dodgy and we reserve the right to protect you and the public by confiscating it
Do you think they would of stolen your axe off of you Stu if they'd seen it? Were there any evidence of people having things taken away by the cop's. Mind they were either 1/ Incompetent or 2/ Half hearted if there detector's missed an axe? Maybe doing a test run of new gear?

 

[Ed]

I think they are more worried about people carrying knives in their pockets that are easily accessable if you get into a fight rather than those packed away in a bag ..... if your bag also contains you bushcraft / camping kit you should have no problem.

Ed

 

[stotRE]

Firebrigade policing at its finest.

Nothing to fear as long as you move along like a mindless drone and pay your 75% taxes.

That and do not leave your home unless its to buy more frozen pizzas or to consume at your local shopping centre.

Before my older brother left the police (he didn't fit in being a white male hetrosexual) he told me about a knife amnesty they did.

The only people that came in where old soldiers with nazi daggers or suit wearing businessmen handing in multitools.

The bins they empty out infront of the media have been filled up over a few years from weapons removed from arrested criminals,they look good for the cameras and the peoples democratic socialist party think that they are winning some war against 'knife culture' (whatever that means)

The reality is that innocent people are being turned into potential criminals by an ever increasingly totalitarian left wing state that couldn't care less about us proletarians.

I carry knives all the time and have never broken the law,my knives are designed to be used as tools and would be highly ineffective as weapons.

So much for living in a democracy,i feel sorry for the Iraqi's if this is the democracy that we are forcing upon them.

As an Odinist i can carry a knife anyway as it says so in stanza 38 of the Havamal

From his weapons away no one should ever stir one step on the field; for no one knows when need might have on a sudden a man of his sword.

Sorry for the rant but these things grip my s£$t

 

[Surrey Yeoman]

Ed.............You're on the right lines there.

Dazzler............Not half-hearted or Incompetent! I've been employed on similar operations with arches and hand-held detectors and the equipment is only one more tool of the trade. The main tools are still the mark 1 eyeball, a knowledge of human behaviour and body language, coupled with the old fashioned copper's gut instinct and intuition!

If I see a guy in outdoor gear and boots, with a rucksack / bergen, I'm going to know that chances are he will be carrying some kind of edged tool, but I'm unlikely to give him any grief because I understand why he's likely to have them and what they're for. I probably wouldn't even ask him to walk through the arch. However, if I see some pimply faced "hoodie" with his £100.00+ trainers - laces undone of course - and a bulge in his pocket or a lump in the small of his back or his sock, you can bet your life I'm going to stop him, scan him and most likely follow that up with a manual search, because he's the one I'm being paid to protect YOU from!

As for the arches being a waste of time, I've got to take issue with you there. I always check the bins at the end of the operation OUTSIDE the check point and it's amazing how many nasty sharp things I've found dumped in them, ditched by the hoodies / baddies, who saw the us and the detector. Incidentally, after operations, I've also recovered a live hand-grenade, a live smoke greanade, CS gas cannisters and to top it all off, a loaded .38 revolver, all from bins prior to the check point.

So, the system might not be perfect, but it helps! And by the way, when you went to Court in your suit & tie, you obviously (and probably without even realising it) applied the commonsense approach of "I'm not going to need my knife where I'm going today, so I'll leave it at home."

stotRE..........Not Firebrigade policing at all, I'd call it proactive and targetted policing. I agree with you about the amnestys though, they're a publicity stunt and a waste of effort, although I suppose it could be argued that the old boys' daggers, bayonets and combat knives are better being chopped up by the police than being sold on eBay (or stolen by scroats when they burgle the old boys' flats!).

Sorry your brother didn't stick with the police as a job. Contrary to popular belief, the "white, male, heterosexuals" are still the majority among the bulk of front line coppers, despite the social engineers' efforts. It's just that the ones that don't fit into that group seem to make the most noise in the force these days - as indeed is true of society as a whole!

Stay safe!

 

[DoctorSpoon]

My experience of this has been, as Yeoman said, folk in this position rely largely on their intuition. A friend had an opinel confiscated when he was getting on Eurostar a short while back - he was indignant, but I wouldn't trust him with an opinel after a few beers! I, on the other hand, a few months previously sailed through with some lovely Trevor Abblett folders in my handbag ... but then I'm a smartly dressed female in her 40s!!

 

[mr dazzler]

Firebrigade policing at its finest.

Nothing to fear as long as you move along like a mindless drone and pay your 75% taxes.

That and do not leave your home unless its to buy more frozen pizzas or to consume at your local shopping centre.

Before my older brother left the police (he didn't fit in being a white male hetrosexual) he told me about a knife amnesty they did.

The only people that came in where old soldiers with nazi daggers or suit wearing businessmen handing in multitools.

The bins they empty out infront of the media have been filled up over a few years from weapons removed from arrested criminals,they look good for the cameras and the peoples democratic socialist party think that they are winning some war against 'knife culture' (whatever that means)

The reality is that innocent people are being turned into potential criminals by an ever increasingly totalitarian left wing state that couldn't care less about us proletarians.

I carry knives all the time and have never broken the law,my knives are designed to be used as tools and would be highly ineffective as weapons.

So much for living in a democracy,i feel sorry for the Iraqi's if this is the democracy that we are forcing upon them.

As an Odinist i can carry a knife anyway as it says so in stanza 38 of the Havamal



Sorry for the rant but these things grip my s£$t

Worr izzit abart yarkshire fokes as mekks em suh marthy No need to apologise to me mate, its refreshing to hear what you have to say

 

[stotRE]

Thanks for your comments yeoman,my brother did 14 years as a RAF copper then five years as a civvy copper.

He got tired of being told to look the other way by his headshed (officer rank but not sure of the name).

He once arrested a bloke who was wanted on operation trident and got a new arsehole torn for that one, "who do you think you are making our patch look bad?"

His nick was more interested in marking time and hoping that no one would report crimes as it made their figures look bad.

Arresting two kids for having a playground punch up was the final nail in the coffin for him.

Another thing................proactive policing?

So is shaking down commuters a way of being proactive?

Smacks of big brother to me,you know who the criminals are so why not shake them down for weapons.

The police seem to put so much effort into tackling speeders and baby sitting the weekend bingedrinkers and very little into making the lives of innocent citizens (not members of the general public as you police like to call us,something else that grips my s£$t) unbearable.

Not having a pop at you personnally mate nor the police in general,after all i understand that the police have to deal with our communist goverments idiotic policies and a lacklustre CPS and peadophile judges who listen to baby shambles CD's or that whinehouse trollop.

Its about time our thin blue line was allowed to harrass the real scum of this once great nation and maybe give them a well deserved kicking from time to time.

Right wing spleen venting over

P.S. If a goverment lickspittle is reading this then pay our bobbies what they deserve you tight arsed "£$%!

 

[C_Claycomb]

Enough with the political rants.
Thread locked