Foreign airports criticised over Durham Tees Valley Airport flick knife find
06.09.07
Security at foreign airports has been criticised after a passenger walked unchallenged onto two aeroplanes carrying a deadly flick-knife with a two inch blade. The passenger was stopped at Durham Tees Valley Airport, and four more knives were found in his hold luggage.
Officers at Durham Tees Valley Airport have been praised after they apprehended the man, who was returning to the region from a trip to Thailand. Because of their vigilance, a security warning has been sent to other airports about the flick-knives, which are disguised as cigarette lighters. But the incident has prompted police in the region to express concerns about the 'embarrassing' security arrangements at the foreign airports involved in the breaches.
The man had the weapon in his hand luggage, and a search of his checked-in bags revealed a further four knives. Before he was apprehended on Monday, the man had got on a flight in Thailand and then another plane at Schiphol Airport, in Amsterdam. Police say the 2 inch blades, with a serrated top edge, were capable of killing somebody.
A spokesman for Durham Police said: 'There has been a double security breach here. It shouldn't have been in the cabin if it had been examined in Thailand and Schiphol. From our point of view, there's some serious questions need to be raised about security at these airports They should be seriously embarrassed about this discovery.'
Following the detection of the five flick-knives, the passenger - who is in his mid-40s and lives in Middlesbrough - was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon. The suspect, who has not been named by police, was due to answer bail at Darlington police station yesterday.
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