ive already put this on the italian thread but as i didnt get much response ive put it on here too.
we came back from italy on tues and was really surprised and upset that after going through security having had our bags already checked ,they had set up a screen in the small dept gate area (our flight only) to recheck people, we were called up in groups of 6-8 at random having said that they did 3/4's of the plane so we werent singled out but everyone was unhappy about it. now i havent got a problem with this but what i wasnt very happy about was they frisked and searched my 7 year old daughter which obviously distressed her and was appalling for me to watch, is this really necessary to search young children like this, if they had used a gadget or explained to her or us what was happening and not touched her then i wouldnt have been so upset by this, they took her to 1 side and frisked her. she was upset by it and i then had to explain to her why, i found this very upsetting has anyone got any thoughts on this. we didnt have anything we shouldnt have we dont even smoke and im not concerned about me or hubby being searched or our bags im all for security i want to make that clear ,but young children i think is dreadful, has anyone else had their kids searched as ive never seen this before and we go away every year around 4-6 times, we werent the only ones with kids being searched either
I can understand that it may have upset your daughter, but in my opinion you can't make choices on who needs frisking when it comes to security.
If it is known that children are not going to be frisked, terrorists might wise up to that and knowing how low they can stoop to get their actions done they might well exploit that.
Mark
If it is known that children are not going to be frisked, terrorists might wise up to that and knowing how low they can stoop to get their actions done they might well exploit that.
Mark
i understand what you are saying, but as i said earlier there is a way of dealing with young children, not just pulling them to 1 side frisking them without any warning or explaining to the parents so they have an opportunity to explain to them why etc, some young children get extremely upset over this sort of thing, i have a very sensitive daughter and it really upset her. perhaps i should have worded it the way they should deal with kids when being frisked. if i had had the chance to explain to her beforehand what was going to happen it wouldnt have caused her so much upset
Hi Ellie meg,
I do feel the need for everyone to be checked out, however, I do think at this time, it was out of order the way they went about it.
My son was frisked last year at Newcastle but they did tell me and they also explained to my son what would be happening, which I feel should have been done with your daughter. He knew exactly what was going to happen and so did we infact I was frisked at the same time so this put him at ease even more.
Hope she isn't affected by it too much and is not put off going through check in.
Cazz.
PS, he thought it was really funny actually, that's how much at ease he was with them and this is how it should be with small children.
I do feel the need for everyone to be checked out, however, I do think at this time, it was out of order the way they went about it.
My son was frisked last year at Newcastle but they did tell me and they also explained to my son what would be happening, which I feel should have been done with your daughter. He knew exactly what was going to happen and so did we infact I was frisked at the same time so this put him at ease even more.
Hope she isn't affected by it too much and is not put off going through check in.
Cazz.
PS, he thought it was really funny actually, that's how much at ease he was with them and this is how it should be with small children.
Blimey and I thought it was bad my daughter had to remove her poncho!
I can imagine it wasn't very nice.
I can imagine it wasn't very nice.
As Mark has said, it's understandable that they do search children.
But I do think they could be a lot more friendly. I've never been through it with my kids, but I think my 5 year old son would be very unhappy.
I know that security is a serious matter ( and so it should be ) But I do think they could be a little (or even lot) less intimidating. Surely smiling now and then wouldn't put security at risk.
But I do think they could be a lot more friendly. I've never been through it with my kids, but I think my 5 year old son would be very unhappy.
I know that security is a serious matter ( and so it should be ) But I do think they could be a little (or even lot) less intimidating. Surely smiling now and then wouldn't put security at risk.
I think you are at the mercy of whether you get a more sensitive and friendly security officer or not.
I agree though, children shouldn't be excluded from being frisked and they should have had adequate training so that they do not alarm anyone whether young or old with what they are doing.
I agree though, children shouldn't be excluded from being frisked and they should have had adequate training so that they do not alarm anyone whether young or old with what they are doing.
thanks for your replies, i just hope when we go to turkey next month this incident wont have affected her. maybe they should be trained how to deal with kids more sensitively, young children dont understand whats going on and when someone stern faced tells them to put their arms out and frisks them it is upsetting
what concerns me about this is that you had gone through security and then were being frisked at the departure gate.
who was doing the searching -the airline or the airport security personnel.
did you ask why you were being searched at the gate. surely this is very unusual.
who was doing the searching -the airline or the airport security personnel.
did you ask why you were being searched at the gate. surely this is very unusual.
Perhaps if you consider it from the other side then what may be seen as a lack of charm may not seem so bad.
Put yourself in the position of the person doing the frisking. Does nobody ever consider how they feel about it?
Do you think that the person doing the frisking is getting a kick out of it?
They, I suspect, in most cases are just as embarrassed as the person being checked.
Rather the manner in which it was done in your case than the friendly way you suggest is not a bad as you think.
If it was done in the way you want then perhaps the "funny folk" would use it as a means of gratification.
Why anyone should object to searching of themselves or family escapes me.
In war zones it is not unusual for kids to be used to hide weapons and explosives. We might like to think that others are as upright as ourselves. I can assure you they are not.
fwh
Put yourself in the position of the person doing the frisking. Does nobody ever consider how they feel about it?
Do you think that the person doing the frisking is getting a kick out of it?
They, I suspect, in most cases are just as embarrassed as the person being checked.
Rather the manner in which it was done in your case than the friendly way you suggest is not a bad as you think.
If it was done in the way you want then perhaps the "funny folk" would use it as a means of gratification.
Why anyone should object to searching of themselves or family escapes me.
In war zones it is not unusual for kids to be used to hide weapons and explosives. We might like to think that others are as upright as ourselves. I can assure you they are not.
fwh
Paul McCartney used to boast that him and Linda used to hide their drugs in their children's clothing when passing into countries. Terrorists are desparate people and would stoop to hide explosives in kids.
Interestingly when we went up the CN towere recently they used a remote frisking device on everyone going in. You stodd in a booth and jets of air were directed at your body from a series of jets positioned at intervals upwards. Whilst this happened the security guard watched. I believe that the air moved the clothing thus revealing any bulges underneath.
My inlaws came through Heathrow last week and were searched thououghly as well. I think that this sudden urge to frisk everyone may be a result of the Trevor McDonald programme last week about Birmingham airport and suddenly the company concerned has lit a fire under its staff.
Interestingly when we went up the CN towere recently they used a remote frisking device on everyone going in. You stodd in a booth and jets of air were directed at your body from a series of jets positioned at intervals upwards. Whilst this happened the security guard watched. I believe that the air moved the clothing thus revealing any bulges underneath.
My inlaws came through Heathrow last week and were searched thououghly as well. I think that this sudden urge to frisk everyone may be a result of the Trevor McDonald programme last week about Birmingham airport and suddenly the company concerned has lit a fire under its staff.
Opens a real can of worms....It is such a shame that the state of the world now dictates that children need to be searched just in case they are carrying bombs etc. My son was searched last holiday we went on but I was ok with it as he is 15 now and I class him more of a young man than a child. I think i would be more upset if he was searched when he was younger. I don't suppose the person doing the searching would be too keen either. Perhaps if the security guard sought permission from the parents (as they did with me) that might help make things go a little more smoothly and possibly ease the distress of the child.
Perhaps if the security guard sought permission from the parents (as they did with me) that might help make things go a little more smoothly and possibly ease the distress of the child.
And what do you do when a parent says no? And they will.
I can see our complaints section filling up with postings how they were refused boarding and what compensation they can claim.
Much as I hate to say it we live in a world where our rights do not matter. The benefits we enjoy have been subdued because there are people in the world who mean us nothing but harm.
For many years I investigated F***d in companies. In some cases it was known that when I came into a branch I was looking for someone who had their fingers in the till. One branch actually contacted head office and asked for me to come. Did I enjoy doing what I did? No but doing what I did protected the jobs of those who were honest. I can list many small firms that went out of business because of the rotten apple, people who lost their jobs and homes because of it.
I accept that I will be searched. I do not think the people doing the job enjoy having to do it. But someone has to.
fwh
my 4 year old grandson was frisked at manchester airport last month. he set off the alarm, but have no idea why, he wasn't carrying anything or wearing anything to set it off, anyway the man who frisked him was lovely with him and explained to us both what he was doing. denny
Yes of course children should be frisked, and so should babies, wheelchair users and old folk. I am sure that many people pass illegal items across borders by using children and babies - and they are not at all concerned about that. It's just another way of getting what they want, and never mind the means.
Perhaps in the light of today's terrorism, it is only reasonable to explain frisking to children before they go on holiday, as a normal part of the many procedures that are used before you board a plane ... checking in, going through security, using the toilets and having a snack etc.
It is for your security and that of your child that this procedure is carried out. It seems perfectly reasonable to me, and we just have to get used to it, because there is a tiny minority that play on our sense of decency.
We just have to accept it and get on with our lives.
Perhaps in the light of today's terrorism, it is only reasonable to explain frisking to children before they go on holiday, as a normal part of the many procedures that are used before you board a plane ... checking in, going through security, using the toilets and having a snack etc.
It is for your security and that of your child that this procedure is carried out. It seems perfectly reasonable to me, and we just have to get used to it, because there is a tiny minority that play on our sense of decency.
We just have to accept it and get on with our lives.
denny thats exactly what i mean, if they had said to me beforehand we need to search you all, given me the chance to explain to ellie then that would have caused less stress to her, or if the lady had spoken to her and explained, she said nothing apart put your hands out and run her hands over my daughters body. i didnt ask why they were doing this we were 1 of the first through the dept gates purely cos ryan air dont have allocated seats and we wanted to make sure that we got a seat altogether, so all the people that arrived early got searched they stopped searching people about 10 mins before we boarded the plane, as the plane was running 40 mins late it gave them quite a while to frisk everyone.
i do realise that some people stoop to low levels planting things on kids, but surely there must be a better more sensitive way to search kids, than to take them to 1 side get them to put their arms out say nothing and frisk them when they are young kids and obviously upset. everyone has different opinions but i saw how upset my daughter was and thought it wasnt done in a nice way
i do realise that some people stoop to low levels planting things on kids, but surely there must be a better more sensitive way to search kids, than to take them to 1 side get them to put their arms out say nothing and frisk them when they are young kids and obviously upset. everyone has different opinions but i saw how upset my daughter was and thought it wasnt done in a nice way
They should explain to parents and child what will happen to them. I can remember the first time i flew back in 1985. I was 8 and put my bag on the belt to go through the scanner but kept hold of my teddy bear. Nice security man asked if 'teddy wanted to go for aride'. i put the teddy on the belt and he was waiting for me after I'd gone through the metal detector. I think it would be worth you contacting the airport and complaining saying that you don't have a problem with children being frisked but the way it was done.
i take my 6 year old grandaughter,on holiday & i have no problem,with her being searched.she knows it may happen,as she has seen it happening,to other people,& has asked questions,to which she has recieved honest answers.as young,as she is, she understands & accepts it,may happen!!!!!
tracy
tracy
I think that we need to bear in mind that this happened in Italy - if it happened in reverse the encounter could still have gone the same way. In my experience the security staff at British airports are generally not multi-lingual and I doubt that most would have been able to explain to an Italian passenger and child what was happening and would probably also have done it on the basis of gestures without an explaination in Italian. I think that the lesson for us all is that we now need to prepare our children for a whole new range of eventualites that can now include being taken aside for 'frisking' at airport security and coming into contact with people who don't speak English. Yes, it's a shame it has to be done but it does have to be done unfortunately.
SM
SM
Why shouldn't children be frisked, parents will use there kids to shop lift, then play innocent, and probably get off with it.
If children are to be frisked, then the airports have to have gudelines, on what they can do.
If children are to be frisked, then the airports have to have gudelines, on what they can do.
Post a Reply
Please sign in or register an account to reply to this post.
Similar Topics
-
all inc for children who are children and not adults
Posted by karenppp in General Holiday Enquiries, Hints and Tips
-
HT and airports!!
Posted by chilly in Goa Discussion Forum
- Airports?
-
smoking at airports
Posted by kat68 in Flight Only / Airline and Airports
-
TENERIFE airports
Posted by David in Spain - Canary Islands - Tenerife Discussion Forum