Touring - airport trouble

hey, i got a small story to tell about trying to fly from stansted airport today. all was fine untill i checked my bag in, security searched the bag which was to go in the hold. they found a small flick knife, and called the police, who handcuffed me and arrested me. 4 hours later i was release with a warning for having a flick knife in public, they didnt seem to care that it was for camping, as it was with my stove. I ended up missing my flight and lost a lot of money.

so i sugest not having knives at all, as the police over are mental. they could clearly see that i was going to use the knife for camping, so i feel that they were not reasonable at all

What? They got you for a knife in checked baggage?

Insane. I got caught with a box cutter after 9/11 in 2002 and I only had to throw the thing away. At the time it was something I carried in my pocket that I used at work on a daily basis. Just didn't even think about it when I went to the airport.

I emptied my pockets at security and then realized I had it. I called a TSA person over, told them I screwed up and asked them to take it and asked them if this was going to escalate into any problem. Guy asked me if I wanted it mailed back to me or thrown away. I told him to toss it. It cost me a whole dollar or something.

Unbelievable you got cuffed.

John

cuffed, missed the plane, spent 4 hours in a cell, and was led out of the airport like a criminal, was just crazy, thought it was a dream,

the police just laughed, 'haha you can book a new flight, only £400'

thsi just makes me hate the police even more, never will i ever help them

I've got a couple horrific airline tales. Here's one. When I was a pup my family went to Egypt and the Holy Lands.

My sister bought a wooden box of some kind and it was wrapped in plain brown paper. Typical female she overpacked so put the box in my bag and didn't tell me.

So I get to the airport and they search my stuff and pull out this brown paper box and asked "What is this?"

My answer: "I have no idea".

Let me tell you that that is the WRONG answer in Egypt. Here come the cops and bomb disposal guys and horrible things were beginning to happen. It worked itself out after my family saw me getting dragged off and our tour guide intervened.

Funny thing though is they never did open the box. I was pretty sure I was on my way to get slapped and finger waved though.

John

Flick knife = switch blade? Right?

Is it illegal to carry one there? My understanding was that it was not only illegal to carry, but illegal to own one in the UK. If that is the case what did you expect? You might be lucky that you got off as easy as you did.

Flick knife = switch blade? Right?

Is it illegal to carry one there? My understanding was that it was not only illegal to carry, but illegal to own one in the UK. If that is the case what did you expect? You might be lucky that you got off as easy as you did.

yeah switch blade, which i did find out is illegal, however i got it abroad and have had it for 7 years. I always though it was illegal to carry around say town, but i had a purpose for it, camping. So i though just confiscating it would be enough, but no, had to miss the flight, waste four hours, to achieve nothing. taking me to police station 30 min drive away was clearly not the best idea, maybe illegal, which im not saying its not (now that i know) but they took it too far


they said it ok to own and have one to have at home only. but you cant buy or sell one

hey, i got a small story to tell about trying to fly from stansted airport today. all was fine untill i checked my bag in, security searched the bag which was to go in the hold. they found a small flick knife, and called the police, who handcuffed me and arrested me. 4 hours later i was release with a warning for having a flick knife in public, they didnt seem to care that it was for camping, as it was with my stove. I ended up missing my flight and lost a lot of money.

so i sugest not having knives at all, as the police over are mental. they could clearly see that i was going to use the knife for camping, so i feel that they were not reasonable at all

Good. Nice to know that the airport security is doing what it is supposed to be doing. :)

I'm sorry you lost your fare and glad they didn't press charges, but it could have been worse.

http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/law/weaponscrime/weaponsandthelaw says that:
It's an offence to carry any knife in public, even if you're not behaving in a threatening manner, and you can face a penalty of two year's imprisonment and a £5,000 fine for doing so.

Maybe you should be grateful that they didn't press the issue farther.

knife it self was not the problem, as i had a reason, camping, surely people going camping, fishing can carry knives, as it completly different to carrying a knife in the town center. It was the fact that it was a flick knife, which i got openly in another european country, so assumed its fine in the UK

Why do you hate the police? They were just doing their job. You need to be more aware of the laws in the country that you visit. Switch blades are illegal to carry in many countries.

A switch blade does nothing that a folding knife does not do other than open automatically.

This was no one's fault but your own.

there has been a huge problem with knife crime in the UK lately OP, police there are seriously clamping down, reakon you were luckly to get away as likely as you did, glad to hear you were released and no charges brought

;)

knife it self was not the problem, as i had a reason, camping, surely people going camping, fishing can carry knives, as it completly different to carrying a knife in the town center. It was the fact that it was a flick knife, which i got openly in another european country, so assumed its fine in the UK


Did you try to carry the knife in your carry on, or was it in your checked luggage?

Did you read the link staehpj1 posted ... it says ...

"If it's a penknife (pocket or folding knife) less than three inches long (although it may be considered offensive if carried for the purpose of causing injury or harm)."

So yes, you can carry a pocketknife ... but not in your carry on luggage.

And why on earth would you assume that if a switchblade is apparently legal in one country it would be in another?

Why do you hate the police? They were just doing their job. You need to be more aware of the laws in the country that you visit. Switch blades are illegal to carry in many countries.

A switch blade does nothing that a folding knife does not do other than open automatically.

This was no one's fault but your own.

Robot.

There has been a lot of fuss about knives in the UK recently. Furthermore, from your username, I'm guessing you may be of Russian or Middle Eastern extraction - if you have brown skin, or worst of all, a beard, you are, by definition, a terrorist.

I gather that you were guilty of bringing an illegal weapon onto airport property. Same as if you'd stowed a loaded gun in you baggage. Tough way to be taught the law.

In the UK folding blades are illegal if they lock in the open position, and require you to press a release to close them.

Other things that are illegal in Britain:

- Polka-dot, plastic dresses less than 4 mils thick.
- Dark hairpieces that cover less than 50% of the cranium.
- Polyester-clad music groups that sing off-key in competitions.
- Members of Parliament who take less than £10,000 in expenses.

In the UK folding blades are illegal if they lock in the open position, and require you to press a release to close them.

WHAT?? please inform where you got this information... The kind of knife you're describing is not a flick-knife (switchblade) with automatic opening. I'll google a bit aswell...

found this:
https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q337.htm

and this:
http://www.goxplore.net/guides/Knife_law_(UK)

which I interpret as I can't take my knife
http://www.victorinox.ch/index.cfm?site=victorinox.ch&page=184&lang=E
into the UK... even if it's called "the Picnicker" :)

... and I hate chopping vegetables with small blade knifes :D

WHAT?? please inform where you got this information... The kind of knife you're describing is not a flick-knife (switchblade) with automatic opening. I'll google a bit aswell...

English common law is based on the principal of "precedent", with no need for a statute to be passed in parliament. So if a judge decides something is illegal and it isnt overturned on appeal, the police can apply that interpretation of the law. That is why some models of the swiss army knife and multitools with a knife blade are illegal in UK.

hey, i got a small story to tell about trying to fly from stansted airport today. all was fine untill i checked my bag in, security searched the bag which was to go in the hold. they found a small flick knife, and called the police, who handcuffed me and arrested me. 4 hours later i was release with a warning for having a flick knife in public, they didnt seem to care that it was for camping, as it was with my stove. I ended up missing my flight and lost a lot of money.

so i sugest not having knives at all, as the police over are mental. they could clearly see that i was going to use the knife for camping, so i feel that they were not reasonable at all

Hi dmitrij,

Sorry you had a bad experience.

I was goosed by a Romanian woman at the SF airport. She went way overboard with the body search.

Some people just go overboard with things.

Some cops are ok. Others not so much.

Some people perceive flick knives as out of bounds; this is common in some countries, including much of the US.

When I first saw them commonly for sale in Italy in open-air markets, it seemed a bit foreign. In some places they seem to be widely accepted -- and even seen almost as toys, or at least as not a big deal.

In other places, though, they are seen as weapons carried by people who are dangerous; and they are associated with the criminal element, or with people who do not mean well or have bad intentions or tendencies.

So the police may have reacted to the flick-knife images or associations in their culture, which might be different from the way they are perceived by you. Even the words -- flick knife and switchblade -- carry different connotations. There seems to be quite a bit of variation in the way they are perceived in different cultures and by different individuals.

Please don't let it affect your view of all police. Some of them are good people who are there to help, and not all of them would have handled it this way.

Sorry to hear of your experience but the police obviously did take into account the situation and that is why they let you off with just a warning. Flick knives are illegal in the UK and due to public concern about knife crime, particularly among the young, the law and hence the police are very strict on it.

All weapon type knives ie flick knives, butterfly knives, punch knives, concealed knives are completely banned. Regulations on all knives are pretty tough but depend on situation. See these links

http://www.bkcg.co.uk/guide/law.html
http://www.bkcg.co.uk/guide/prohibited/
http://www.english-handmade-knives.co.uk/BuyingFromUs.html

I tried to buy double edged razor blades from a chemist recently for a safety razor and found that they are no longer on the shelf but behind the counter and they woundn't have sold them to me had I been under 18.

You didn't say where you were flying to but according to wikipedia they are also restricted in many other countries as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchblade

tbh they are not really a very good camping/cooking knife anyway.

I'm sorry you lost your fare and glad they didn't press charges, but it could have been worse.

http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/law/weaponscrime/weaponsandthelaw says that:
It's an offence to carry any knife in public, even if you're not behaving in a threatening manner, and you can face a penalty of two year's imprisonment and a £5,000 fine for doing so.

Maybe you should be grateful that they didn't press the issue farther.

that's (the site refers to) the UK. in the US, for most states, you're allowed to carry a knife openly (a clip exposed is allowed under the terms). However, most cities have ordinances against this; i know boston and NYC are included.

I do not see a reason why you would want to use a "flick" blade or switchblade for camping over others, however; fixed blades are much stronger and easier to use for the most part.

that's (the site refers to) the UK. in the US, for most states, you're allowed to carry a knife openly (a clip exposed is allowed under the terms). However, most cities have ordinances against this; i know boston and NYC are included.




Yes. The OP was in the UK.

knife it self was not the problem, as i had a reason, camping, surely people going camping, fishing can carry knives, as it completly different to carrying a knife in the town center. It was the fact that it was a flick knife, which i got openly in another european country, so assumed its fine in the UK

If something is illegal it is illegal no matter what purpose you intend to use it for.

If something is illegal it is illegal no matter what purpose you intend to use it for.

Nope!

From the link I posted earlier:

"It is illegal to carry any sharp or bladed instrument in a public place (with the exception of a folding pocket knife, which has a blade that is less than 7.62 cm (3 inches)).

A lock knife is not a folding pocket knife and therefore it is illegal to carry around such a knife regardless of the length of the blade. A lock knife means a knife which is similar to a folding knife, in that there is a spring holding the blade closed. However, a lock knife has a mechanism which locks the blade in position when fully extended, the blade cannot be closed without that mechanism being released. A lock knife is not an offensive weapon per se (because these knives were made with a specific purpose in mind and not as a weapon). However, possession of a lock knife in a public place without reasonable excuse is an offence.

Possession of a multi-tool incorporating a prohibited blade/pointed article is capable of being an offence under this section even if there are other tools on the instrument which may be of use to a person in a public place (screwdriver, can opener).

The ban is not total, it is for the person in possession of such an instrument to prove on the balance of probabilities that he/she had good reason for its possession. It will have to be genuine, for example, someone back packing across the Lake District may reasonably be expected to have a knife for the preparation of meals. It will be far more difficult to justify on the streets of a city or town, but there will be occasions when someone is genuinely going to a martial arts sport or scout meeting (which is easily checked).

The penalty for committing this offence is a minimum prison sentence of six months, maximum four years and/or a fine."

assumed its fine in the UK

Right there was your mistake.

knife it self was not the problem, as i had a reason, camping, surely people going camping, fishing can carry knives, as it completly different to carrying a knife in the town center. It was the fact that it was a flick knife, which i got openly in another european country, so assumed its fine in the UK


The knife itself was the problem, flick knifes & locking knifes are illegal in the uk no matter what, also any blade over 3 1/2 inches long is illegal as well i think. the only knifes u will get away with carry are most pen knifes ie- swiss army knifes & kitchen cutlery. like others have said there has been a lot in the press lately about knife crime & so the police have been clamping down accordingly. theres lots of laws in england that are different from other european countires you can't expect them to be the same just because we are all in the eu.

Yeah it sounds tough but the law is the law. As we don't have much gun crime (53 deaths in a year from 2007/8 according to this (http://www.gun-control-network.org/GF01.htm)), a knife is the weapon of choice for someone looking to do harm. So, the police are very strict about knives.

(Also, interestingly, from the same site, I calculated that there are 26 times more gun-related homicides in the US than in the UK per 100,000 people. Yay for tough gun laws!)