Inconvenient and important security measures
At some point in life, everyone goes through a security checkpoint, has their ID looked at, or is scanned over with a metal detector.
Often, these are a nuisance for those who experience them and may think the person doing the check is wasting time.
These security measures have been created for a reason and are often in place to protect you.
It’s true that there are many inconvenient security measures, or ones that just aren’t implemented well. How often can a roadblock with breathalyser test take? Almost all of these can be improved upon. However, there will always be security measures that appear a little too bureaucratic for their own good.
Here are a few annoying but necessary security measures
Full body scanners
While being patted down or having a metal detector go over your body is annoying, a full body scan far more useful. The former two examples are only able to pick up items near the surface of the clothing and not much else. In the case of full body scanners, they can detect both metal and non-metal items with the display isolating any suspicious items.
Full body scanners allow for a person to be scanned without any physical contact ever being made. In many instances, these screens are not viewable by other passengers. In a perfect setting, the screen is situated in a separate room with the security guards unable to see who is being scanned and only their scanned image being shown. These were heavily implemented in airports after the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Man traps
We’ve all been through turnstiles, whether they be half height ones that allow one person to pass at a time, or those that require a ticket to pass through. The aptly named man traps are a more advanced version of the turnstile. If you’ve ever been to the post office or a bank then you’ve used one of these devices.
Man traps feature two doors in and out of the device. A person will step into the man trap and be unable to exit until the door behind them is securely locked. This allows security to first check the individual inside or perform a full body scan before they can be released. These devices can be annoying as they only permit one person in at a time (though a parent with a child is fine) and may create an additional queue to simply enter the bank or post office.
Possession scanners
Leading on from metal scanners, a typical item at airports are hand luggage scanners. Yes, these are the things – coupled with security guards – that add on extra time when heading to your terminal. Like everything else on this list they do add some much needed security in order to protect both you and the airport.
When heading to these checkpoints, you’ll often have to put your hand luggage in a plastic tray, empty your pockets, and take your laptop out of you bag. This is to ensure that the x-ray machine and security personnel can accurately scan all of the items in your bag. In this way they make sure you are not carrying any weapons or other dangerous items with you. Your possessions are removed in order to not set off the metal detector. Though if it is set off, you’ll often be patted down and scanned a second time. These are a nuisance if you are running late but they can help eliminate security threats.
Car booms
These can be the bane of many shopper’s experience, especially if the booms aren’t working correctly. Security booms in shopping malls are there to help prevent your car from being stolen (and make some extra revenue for the building). Upon entering you will be given a limited-life ticket which is used when exiting the parking lot. Though these measures can be easily fooled by having someone hold up the boom, or driving fast enough to sneak under it after another car.
There are, of course, other security measures that you may find irritating, but do serve a purpose. These include paid-for toilets, bag searches, and the inability to bring certain things onto a flight.