On a recent cross channel ferry from Poole we were one of about a dozen cars pulled out to be searched by security personnel (not C&E I don't think).
Mine was a pleasant young women who looked into the packed hatch and asked if I had any knives in there.
"yes I replied there are some in that picnic hamper". "Thats OK" but do you have a penknife" "No I lied" not wanting to lose my little swiss penknife.
She gave me a mild telling off for my steel jerrycan containing diesel but said as its diesel we won't worry about that. (one up for the diesel lovers).
I was now free to take over the ferry and 500 passengers with my little penknife but being tired after a long drive resisted the urge and had coffee instead.
Its good to see security beginning on ferries but thinking on.... what an easy target they are for the deranged suicide bomber. And obviously a penknife is not the weapon to be looking for but firearms and explosives.
We have seen this big increase in airport security but nothing about these vulnerable large people carriers.
And what a nightmare in security to protect them.
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Just a thourght would any potentianl hi jackers tell any security that they do have some hand guns or knives which they intend to use. Do you think the hi jackers on 9/11 would have given over there weapons if they had been asked (getting weapons through security doesn't seem to be a problem)
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It seems to me the only purpose of this kind of low-level security is the deterance value and the uncertainty of not knowing in advance how thorough the checks will be. Now that we all know that you only have to say 'no knives' and they will let you through, the whole exercise becomes pointless.
To be effective surely they have to make examples of every 1 in 10 say, and do a proper search regardless. Then every 1 in 100 pull the car to bits and rip the seats open, then every 1 in 1000 take the tyres off and check for delayed action explosives, etc etc.
Once it is known that they never do this, the whole procedure becomes wide open.
IMHO, as a non security-expert.
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Reminds me of a situation once in Zimbabwe (my home country), where I was in the Police reserve. We were manning a road block with instructions to check for weapons. The officer in charge of the roadblock pulled over a vehicle with two young men in it and asked "Do you have any arms?" Smartalek replies "Yes, two each, with a hand on the end of each one".
The officer asked the driver to identify himself, so, he looked at himself in the rear-view mirror and calmly replied "Yes - that's me!"
Officer had a sense of humour failure - they were detained for 2 hours while their vehicle was completely searched and tested for roadworthiness!!
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Slightly off thread but still security. I saw a car parked on a ferry deck the other day with the steering wheel immobiliser thingy carefully locked on the wheel. Who was going to steal the car and go where with it?
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Stood waiting for a curry from one of those takeaway vans on Sunday. A bloke pulled up right next to it leaned over and locked the passenger door, got out and locked the driver door and even gave the handle a tug - presumably just to make sure it was absolutely, fully, 100%, locked and secure. Turned round ordered his curry and sat on the bonnet.
Paranoid or what?
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Paranoid or force of habit?
If the curry ordering chap had left his car unlocked while he was ordering and it was stolen (similar things have happened from filling stations), his insurance (probably) would not pay up as he had not secured his vehicle.
Trust no one!
Regards
John R
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Slightly off thread but still security. I saw a car parked on a ferry deck the other day with the steering wheel immobiliser thingy carefully locked on the wheel. Who was going to steal the car and go where with it?
I did the same thing when I went away, I always apply the steering wheel lock and deadlocks, force of habit. I think it also says that you take security seriously and aren't likely to leave anything in the car of value.
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
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Alvin
Good to see some moves are being made to improve ferry security even though it can only be cosmetic. My experiences with BF last year (see www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=i&t=61...2 )show there is plenty of room for improvement.
Terry
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On the one occassion I have taken my car through the Channel tunnel we were stopped for a security check (I think it was a random one but am not sure). The chap was wearing white cotton gloves and ran his hands over the steering wheel, other parts of the facsia (sp?) and the boot. Then he disappeared into his hut for a short while before waving us on. Apparently the gloves pick up particles of explosives (from bullets as well as bombs)that may have rubbed off the driver's hands and by using a UV light of the correct frequency these show up easily. Chap said they catch a lot of squaddies using the system. Seems a pretty good idea to me and could be used on ferries as well
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alvin
Yes, ferry security is a good idea but the curent obsession with depriving little old ladies of their nail files is Window dressing, not security. Did you have any glass bottles, or were any liquids for sale on the ferry in glass bottles?
What's the more dangerous, your small bladed penknife or a broken bottle?
Regards
John S
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Quite right John but security is almost an impossible task in normal society. It can be carried out in a closed institution but if one of the lunatics is hampered by security precautions in one area he can simply turn to a softer target.
Elimination of the terrorist or the cause is the only answer and thats also as difficult.
regards
alvin
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Great posts, everyone, and especially timely.
I'm wondering if there have been documented terrorist attacks (or attempted attacks) on ferries? Scanning the Web, I've read a bit on the foiled "Millennium Attack" and a bit on some guys hijacking a ferry to get out of Cuba.
Neither really seem to fit the mold of Al Quaeda-esque suicide bombers or any real danger perpetrated on the ferry passengers themselves (well, maybe in the Cuba case, but those guys just want to get the heck outta there!)
Any one else have any anecdotes?
Reporterman
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