Metal Detectors At Bham New Street Station

[Guest Guest]

Gurfateh

the extract below is from the BBC News website... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/4926246.stm

________________________________________________________________________________________

Metal detectors lead to arrests

Police will use the detectors to carry out random searches

Three people have been arrested in Birmingham after the introduction of airport-style metal detectors.

The scanners are being used at New Street station and on the city's streets in a bid to prevent people carrying knives around.

On the first day, some 877 people passed through the scanners, with 80 people stopped and three arrested.

Det Ch Insp Kevin Shanahan, from British Transport Police, said he hoped the detectors would improve safety.

"We are trying to promote a weapons free rail environment and we feel this particular aspect of law enforcement will take us some way to achieve that ultimate objective," he said.

Random searches

One person was arrested for carrying a knife, another had a sharpened screwdriver and the third suspect was held on a "crime matter".

The scanners are portable and police will use them in various sites across the city to randomly search rail passengers and people on the streets.

A similar scheme in London has been so successful it has been extended. Almost 10,000 people were scanned in two months and 50 knives were seized.

The government has previously said full airport-style security is impossible at UK stations because of the huge numbers of people using them every day.

The machines, developed by a US company, can detect hidden weapons and explosives.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

i am just wondering how this is affecting sikhs in Birmingham?

i have to go New Street Station i am a bit weary of these metal detectors as i am going with a group of gorai who do not know i wear a kirpan - surely the police would have thought to make exceptions for sikhs and their kirpans?

i am not amritdhari yet but i do not wish to take off my kirpan for the day

any experiences and advice would be most helpful!

thank you!

Gurfateh :lol:

[Golee Maro]

If you're a proper GurSikh, you have panj kakaar, then dont worry because it wont effect you as much. No one will say anything to you wearing a kirpaan but just dont give them cause to say anything to you in the first place. Look Sikh and be Sikh. Dont prat around and dont give them any cause for alarm. One incident involving Kirpaans, and that could spark off a debate and at New St, theres enough amrit dhaari Gursikhs going in and out. Just be vigilent.

[Guest lowest of the low singhni]

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=17897&hl=

"Sikh Federation (UK) is having a meeting with key staff at the Mayor of London's Office and Transport of London later this week. One of the issues to be covered is the need to issuie a directive reminding staff and the Transport Police that the Sikhs have a right to wear the Kirpan and they must be exempt from any new rules/procedures."

that was on the 4th of april...duno if anything's happened since then.