Admiral Pedro’s security problems

Our minister and admiral Pedro is here telling his story about security:

“A photographic camera can also be a very agressive object. Specially if used against a head of a security officer. I explained that to security officers in the Rotterdam airport a few years back. They almost arrested me (2002), they did not appreciate my sense of humor. Especially because inside the pouch where the photographic camera there was a little knife multitool swiss made Victorinox purchased at Logan airport Boston. And my wife in her bag she had the mini Swiss pocket knife she used for her nails.

The knifes were not confiscated. They did not arrest me because I was travelling with my familly. However they told me to get rid of the knifes in some way. So I had to throw inde a trash of the airport the knifes, which made the security officers mad at me because they did not know which trash I thrown them away. And now they had to find them, just in case something happened…

When the security officers asked me if I had another weapon, for example a pistol, my younger son (4 years old)replied to the officer that “YES my daddy he has a BIG one at home”!!! At that moment several officers put their hand on their guns, and there was a silence. You can imagine the embarrasment! I looked at my kid and couldn’t believe the situation. So the officers were looking at me in a very very suspicious way with the hand on the guns. They sent an officer in the plane with us who was constantly looking at me. The officer followed us during the holiday and I met in in several places, the hotel, the beach, the restaurant, ect…. I welcomed him warmly with a “f**k yah”!

After that incident with the security at Rotterdam, I was followed constantly when I came back to Rotterdam by police officers in civilian clothing. They even entered one my office and sat on my desk, no kidding. The most annoying part was to be followed by them when I was taking my kids to school. They even randomly stopped me to check my pockets and bag and see if I had a knife or the famous pistol.

Well this was quite unfortunate, because at that time, I was living in Rotterdam Center (old town) and we were one of the few non muslims families there, that might have made me more suspicious. So this made my life quite complicated for a time, having a shadow following me and trying to stop me from time to time. I became an expert fleeing them and at a certain point the only worlds I had for them was “f**k yah” :D.

One day I was was with 3 officers in civilian clothing in the lift of my offices and situations like that.

The other interesting thing that happened was that one day, a bunch of police officers in civilian clothing came to my office, faking they were doing a TV documentary (no kidding they brought cameras!!!!), again no kidding. I recognized part of the officers of the airport. That was too much for me. They even told the Human Resources manager they wanted to interview me. Guess who it was who wanted to interview me? The one of the photographic camera!!! :D

One day it all stopped. I think they realized that I was not involved in anything dangerous.

But see how a small incident can make so much trouble.

Adm. Pedro”