Suspicious packages.

[duffield]

I disagree. Passengers are told, relentlessly at every opportunity, not to leave things unattended. Any sort of bag or package is quite obviously at the top of the worry list. Anybody who ignores that and leaves something lying around, intentionally or otherwise, should accept that said item may not simply be left where it is to greet them on their return. A bag left sat by itself at a busy railway station is fair game for either railway staff, the police or a cautiously minded passenger to take action against.

Obviously it's entirely up to your judgement. Personally I have this quite clear image in my head of some thuggish youth running up behind the well-meaning passenger who is carrying his bag, yelling "oi mate, that's my bag" and assaulting the well-meaning passenger before any explanations are even possible.
I try to anticipate and avoid any such possibility (partly due to bitter experience and partly due to anxiety issues). If you're a physically and mentally confident individual you may not worry about such things.

As I said, I don't take this to extremes. I can't imagine such a thing happening with an umbrella or a book so I would (and in fact have) picked such things up and handed them to Rail staff.

 

[exile]

Obviously it's entirely up to your judgement. Personally I have this quite clear image in my head of some thuggish youth running up behind the well-meaning passenger who is carrying his bag, yelling "oi mate, that's my bag" and assaulting the well-meaning passenger before any explanations are even possible.

If you regard an item as suspicious, you don't pick it up, surely?

 

[duffield]

If you regard an item as suspicious, you don't pick it up, surely?

Agreed. I was just arguing that there are circumstances where even if you think it's *not* suspicious, it's still *not* a good idea to pick it up.

 

[A-driver]

If you regard an item as suspicious, you don't pick it up, surely?

You wouldn't automatically regard an unattended bag as suspicious though. That's why you use the HOT protocol.

 

[Clip]

You wouldn't automatically regard an unattended bag as suspicious though. That's why you use the HOT protocol.

Do you ever get a sense of deja vu?

 

[exile]

So is the "items will be removed or destroyed" message not entirely accurate? That is, if you left something (for a few minutes) that wouldn't be regarded as suspicious, nothing will actually happen to it?

 

[Clip]

So is the "items will be removed or destroyed" message not entirely accurate? That is, if you left something (for a few minutes) that wouldn't be regarded as suspicious, nothing will actually happen to it?

No, it would then be removed and put into lost property and if unfortunate to do it at a NR managed station that would be left luggage where it would be scanned and a nice charge for you to retrieve it.

We're not going to leave it there you know - the idea is not to panic everyone else for the rest of the day

 

[A-driver]

So is the "items will be removed or destroyed" message not entirely accurate? That is, if you left something (for a few minutes) that wouldn't be regarded as suspicious, nothing will actually happen to it?

I've never heard them say 'items will be removed or destroyed'. Never ever. The announcements clearly state that 'items MAY be removed or damaged/destroyed'. Big difference. The announcements are to stop people complaining and trying to charge for damages when their bags are moved and accidentally damaged because they were left on the concourse whilst the owner went to buy a coffee etc.

 

[exile]

I've never heard them say 'items will be removed or destroyed'. Never ever. The announcements clearly state that 'items MAY be removed or damaged/destroyed'. Big difference. The announcements are to stop people complaining and trying to charge for damages when their bags are moved and accidentally damaged because they were left on the concourse whilst the owner went to buy a coffee etc.

So, it's nothing to do with security then? And why "destroyed"?

And "by the security services"?

 

[A-driver]

So, it's nothing to do with security then? And why "destroyed"?

And "by the security services"?

Because of its deemed suspicious then it may well be damaged or in serious circumstances destroyed by a controlled explosion. Very unlikely but still possible. They are covering themselves from you complaining they blew up your expensive luggage.

 

[ComUtoR]

Wasn't there one recently where a controlled explosion took place?