Security at Theme Parks and Other Public Places

[imanautie]

No they can't, it's called theft, but because of people like@BarryZola who are quiet happy to not challenge stuff like this it'll happen more and more, not even a copper has the right to confiscate fag papers.

Oh btw @BarryZola nobody was actually complaining about the bag searches, what has got people's back up is they told @ihaveaspergers that they were going to permanently confiscate his battery pack which is theft plain and simple, unlike you, who would it would appear have just handed this over, @ihaveaspergers stood up for himself and still has the battery pack in his possession.

I'm also pretty sure security staff abusing their power to relieve punters of their property without any authority, would be fairly interesting to Varney, as that kind of stuff could do even more damage to their reputation, which is fairly well in the ****ter already.

Maybe you are prepared to have your rights trodden all over, but some of us aren't.

Well I gave it up at bag search as it was either leave the park hours early (not happening with £50+ train fares) or not at it back.
But hey me having tweeted thorpe, my family getting the number to call them and duty managers realising a screw up occured(well they were following me for at least an hour) played out in my favour .

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[imanautie]

On that note, any idea what a code 6 is at Thorpe?

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[IanSR]

i presume you got it back in the end?

 

[BarryZola]

Well, you know, I like to choose my battles and how to spend my free time in a different way to some of you, obviously. I'd live a very stressed life if every time there was a small bit of inconvenience to me I called the police and contacted the head of the organization in question. More important things to worry about.

Feel free to go ahead with your chosen path, but It doesn't mean I have to agree with it

 

[IanSR]

Well, you know, I like to choose my battles and how to spend my free time in a different way to some of you, obviously. I'd live a very stressed life if every time there was a small bit of inconvenience to me I called the police and contacted the head of the organization in question. More important things to worry about.

Feel free to go ahead with your chosen path, but It doesn't mean I have to agree with it

My life isn't stressed but I do object to what I consider being taken advantage of and I wouldn't consider what happened to be a minor inconvenience, this must be a recent change or a new employee because I've taken my battery box into Thorpe loads of times before without issue, but I've no need to take it now so it won't be a problem, but if i did I sure as hell wouldn't let some whippersnapper confiscate it from me.

 

[imanautie]

My life isn't stressed but I do object to what I consider being taken advantage of and I wouldn't consider what happened to be a minor inconvenience, this must be a recent change or a new employee because I've taken my battery box into Thorpe loads of times before without issue, but I've no need to take it now so it won't be a problem, but if i did I sure as hell wouldn't let some whippersnapper confiscate it from me.

Kinda hard to keep to that principal if your an aspie who's already been walked past a few hundred people with people noticeably staring.

(Edit: I've been advised to get an Asperger's alert card, not sure how useful it would be with Thorpe)

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[rob666]

Maul cop secti rut.
Flipping heck Ian, that took some figuring out...
You did mean mall cop security didn't you???
It is a sad fact of modern life, bag checks and pat downs.
If you don't do it...there goes your day out.

And I know several aspies who just love a good pat down, we are not all the same, however people try to put us in pigeon holes

 

[DiogoJ42]

I highly doubt the shaved chimps that end up in theme park security would give a smeg about what any of their victims suffer from, even if that had heard of Asperger's.

 

[IanSR]

Yeah I can understand that, must have been quiet difficult for you @ihaveaspergers.

I would still make a fuss up the food chain though, if people don't realise or are not taken to task over a mistake, then they'll never learn from it (hence why some railways think it's appropriate to throw motability scooters off trains because they won't move out the way of a pushchair in the disabled area of the train) and I simply wouldn't trust a duty manager to pass details of the incident up the food chain. Since it'll be him on the hook over it in the end, he has no incentive to pass it along.

This is one of those situation where I'd say use the clout the VIP Passholder status generally affords you and make a fuss with Merlin directly.

@rob666 yes I meant Mall cop, this stupid iPad automatically corrects stuff without you knowing half the time lol. As I said I don't mind the bag checks themselves, I just object to the way some of these rent-a-cops treat you while doing it.

 

[imanautie]

Yeah I can understand that, must have been quiet difficult for you @ihaveaspergers.

I would still make a fuss up the food chain though, if people don't realise or are not taken to task over a mistake, then they'll never learn from it, and I simply wouldn't trust a duty manager to pass details of the incident up the food chain. Since it'll be him on the hook over it in the end, he has no incentive to pass it along.

This is one of those situation where I'd say use the clout the VIP Passholder status generally affords you and make a fuss with Merlin directly.

@rob666 yes I meant Mall cop, this stupid iPad automatically corrects stuff without you knowing half the time lol

I did with Thorpe on twitter (via DM) the person answering saying
"Hi there, I am very sorry that this happened to you on your visit. Our security do perform rigorous searches and try to be as thorough as possible but I feel that you were hard done by. Did you by any chance get a name of the security guard or can provide me with a brief description?"




funny security didn't realise at first they were accusing someone who spends the majority of their free money with merlin considering it should be pretty obvious considering my multiple lanyards.

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[IanSR]

Yes definitely go up the food chain, that person you spoke to, as helpful as they were, was just someone in an office, and security, don't even work for Thorpe, they are subcontractors so, excuse my French, couldn't give a flying fuck who you are or how much you spend with Merlin, but Merlin will.

Here's how I'd word it, I'd explain what happened, then ask Mr Nick whether he'd find that acceptable and would he like to be treated like that (don't forget to bring up disability discrimination) and if not what will he be doing to ensure it doesn't happen again to anybody else. Be nice and explain you understand why security is there, but the way you, a disabled VIP Passholder was treated was unacceptable, and frankly if they treated you like that, how do they treat everyday Joe blogs?

 

[imanautie]

Yes definitely go up the food chain, that person you spoke to, as helpful as they were, was just someone in an office, and security, don't even work for Thorpe, they are subcontractors so, excuse my French, couldn't give a flying **** who you are or how much you spend with Merlin, but Merlin will.

Here's how I'd word it, I'd explain what happened, then ask Mr Nick whether he'd find that acceptable and would he like to be treated like that (don't forget to bring up disability discrimination) and if not what will he be doing to ensure it doesn't happen again to anybody else. Be nice and explain you understand why security is there, but the way you, a disabled VIP Passholder was treated was unacceptable, and frankly if they treated you like that, how do they treat everyday Joe blogs?

I've got a suspicion my sister mentioning I had spent £50 on train fares for that day alone had something to do with things

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[Lurker]

Why should the amount of money a customer spends make any difference to security. If it's there to fight terrorism, as suggested, everybody should be treated equally as anybody could have nefarious intentions.

Every single person who passes through security should have a positive experience (unless they are carrying illegal items of course), they have a job to do, and I think most people recognise that, but they are also the first impression of the park. They should be trained to act professionally, be aware and sensitive that guests have differing needs (especially in regards to disability). However every person should be equally checked by security.

Edit: to make the use of the 'general you' more clear.

 

[imanautie]

Why should the amount of money you spend make any difference to security. If it's there to fight terrorism, as suggested, everybody should be treated equally as anybody could have nefarious intentions.

Every single person who passes through security should have a positive experience (unless they are carrying illegal items of course), they have a job to do, and I think most people recognise that, but they are also the first impression of the park. They should be trained to act professionally, be aware and sensitive that guests have differing needs (especially in regards to disability). However every person should be equally checked by security.

It shouldn't, but i suspect me having an apology from duty managers was a matter of security,not that it's really a matter of security seeing as they were happy for it to remain on site.

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[Alsty]

It's nothing more than security theatre. I'd be interested to know what they actually seize... I doubt it's much of interest.

Let's inconvenience everyone to stop less than 1% of people who're upto no good, and who'll probably know how to get their contraband in anyway . Be more effective to patrol the park and 'weed' out the baddies...

 

[imanautie]

It's nothing more than security theatre. I'd be interested to know what they actually seize... I doubt it's much of interest.

Let's inconvenience everyone to stop less than 1% of people who're upto no good, and who'll probably know how to get their contraband in anyway . Be more effective to patrol the park and 'weed' out the baddies...

Especially when you can walk through staff entrance (which the wakesurf school advises) and you bypass security.

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[imanautie]

It's nothing more than security theatre. I'd be interested to know what they actually seize... I doubt it's much of interest.

Let's inconvenience everyone to stop less than 1% of people who're upto no good, and who'll probably know how to get their contraband in anyway . Be more effective to patrol the park and 'weed' out the baddies...

I actually pointed out multiple ways you would get a bomb into the park or cause a mass casualty event (and yes I said bomb to security at Thorpe after they apologized).

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[IanSR]

I actually pointed out multiple ways you would get a bomb into the park or cause a mass casualty event (and yes I said bomb to security at Thorpe after they apologized).

Bet that made you as popular as a fart in a lift lol.

Why should the amount of money a customer spends make any difference to security. If it's there to fight terrorism, as suggested, everybody should be treated equally as anybody could have nefarious intentions.

It shouldn't no, but this is one of those cases where the "I'm a VIP Passholder and have a direct line to the CEO cos I spend a lot of money with him" appearance should be taken advantage of.

 

[speedy]

I actually pointed out multiple ways you would get a bomb into the park or cause a mass casualty event (and yes I said bomb to security at Thorpe after they apologized).

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Don't question it! We all know the queue of people waiting to go through security creates a target in itself, and that they hardly even check the bags (at least in my case).

Must have been a big ass battery pack that it scared them so much. I know there is a safe limit within which battery packs are allowed to be taken on board a plane, so wouldn't they be working to the same specification?

 

[DiogoJ42]

No self respecting "terrorist" is going to bomb Thorpe park. They'd take out more of their own than us infidels.