This story of airport security vigilance comes to us via the friendly skies of the greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Australia: around 6am local time last Thursday at Avalon Airport, the Victoria state bomb squad was deployed to inspect a highly suspicious-looking item packed in someone’s luggage. Once the squad got inside the bag, a second questionable item was confiscated. Both items were sent for further testing while the person to whom the luggage belonged, an individual identified simply as “Sam,” was detained for questioning. And amidst all of this, flights were delayed and the airport went into partial lockdown. After four hours of investigation, authorities were able to confirm that the explosive items Sam had been trying to smuggle onto his Sydney-bound flight were… a laser hair removal device, and a container of hot chocolate. To be fair, each of those items has the potential to cause serious damage to personal health! But the hordes of passengers who missed their flights were none too pleased, including Sam himself. Or as he put it: “It’s been a horrible day for everybody.”
The facts: “Police responded to an incident at Avalon airport this morning,” Victoria police said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Emergency services were called to the premises just before 6am on 21 May.” They added, “The Bomb Response Unit conducted checks on an item, and it was determined to be a laser hair removal device.” … The incident also resulted in multiple flight delays and a partial lockdown, The Guardian reported. An area was also reportedly cordoned off.
Police allege Sam was uncooperative: Police Speaking about the incident, Insp Nick Uebergang told reporters, “It was an electrical laser hair removal and a cardboard-cylinder hot chocolate container,” per The Guardian. “It’s fair to say that the person that had the bag probably wasn’t too cooperative with us to start off with, which made things more difficult,” he added, per The Guardian, ABC and 9News. “It probably could have averted things, and we could have got out of here a lot quicker. He wasn’t giving us too much information at all on what was in his bag.”
Sam also spoke to the press: He told the outlet that he was questioned about his hot chocolate container and asked if it was a military-grade explosive. “They thought this looked like C4 and they had me stay in the [police] car for four hours,” he said. “They thought it was a bomb and then they realized it wasn’t a bomb and then they were like, ‘is it illegal drugs?’ and then they had to get it tested and had to get everything tested and that’s why it took so long,” he added.
And denies being uncooperative: “I didn’t say anything insulting,” he told ABC. “I was being civil the whole time. I wouldn’t say this was a good experience for me.” “I didn’t have a list, I wouldn’t say I’m that well planned… so I was like, ‘Oh there’s clothes, and like this hair removal device,” he told 9News. “You’re being accused of being a terrorist, so that’s a pretty big deal.” Despite the experience, Sam said he understood the security response. “It was better to be safe than sorry,” he told ABC. “It’s been a horrible day for everybody.”
Avalon airport tries to steer the plane to a PR win: A spokesperson for Avalon airport told The Guardian that the “response demonstrates the vigilance of the screening and security processes.” They added precautionary measures were “taken immediately to ensure the safety of passengers, staff and the broader community.” Following the incident, Sam was free to go and faced no charges, per The Guardian.
In some ways, airport security agents really can’t win. We rib them for overzealously poring over our humdrum toiletries or snacks — or making us surrender too-large bottles of sunscreen, a year later and I’m still mad about that! On the other hand, heaven forbid the worst happens and we’d be all over them like, “How on earth did THAT get through their screening??” Where this particular police officer loses my sympathy, is when he starts trash-talking Sam. No need to do the kid dirty like that just because you didn’t find an actual bomb and/or illegal drugs after all that time and effort! Which, by the way, is the result you want to have happen in a densely populated building. I watched Sam being interviewed by local news, and the vibe I got was not at all uncooperative. Or mayge I just have a more dramatic expectation for confrontational Australians. In any event, I hope Sam is in Sydney sipping a hot chocolate right now! And yeah, maybe check the laser hair removal thingie next time.
Photos are screenshots from YouTube
I’m a physician, so also in a field where it’s hard to be perfect and right every time, when you’re likely meeting someone on a bad day/their worst day. This is true in healthcare, law enforcement, even plumbers and other service industries. But it seems like the law enforcement realm largely doesn’t consider this—-they are the professionals, they should have a “bedside manner” that helps the person/public to be calm, and not escalate situations, and not blame clueless/well-meaning people. But they love to be in the “thin blue line” mindset. //rant//
Yes!!!! @Debdowner, this is it, 100%. Security staff — especially airport staff — have always given me the impression that *they* are so utterly put upon as to be pitied, whilst, incidentally, treating everyone else like sh*t. As if that were just par for the course. I mean. You don’t have to butter me up, but please, just employ a brisk professional courtesy. Don’t take out your bad mood / bad procedures / bad attitude on hapless people just trying to get through a queue.