I assume the apprentice got it in the neck

[Dave Liquorice]

"pigeon-hole"

Van? Well maybe but I have sneaky feeling that the company is just the MD and planting fake bombs doesn't need more than a car and a bag. I wonder if he has any offical authoristation, just imagine the reaction of the police if they had some reason to search his car and found a bag full of these things...

Quite or understand what "single point of failure" means, even people who should know better still manage to create (suposidly) robust systems with single point(s) of failure.

In this case with these things being laid in third party properties one would expect decent documentation signed off on installation and retrival. Documentation that included a description, or better picture, of the "device" and where it has been placed. Copies for the third party, the search company and file.

[Andy Burns]

I imagine being ex-met plod (of 32 years) he's got "contacts"

[GB]

I wonder what he will do next? I don't think he'll have much success in future with his present line of business.

[newshound]

I should have said, this one had a code word so it was plausible. I think they used to issue many fakes for each real one, although the proportion varied. To my mind the real reason not to worry too much was that it was a fairly secure site requiring visible passes at all times.

[Dave Liquorice]

Not sure to which "this one" you are referring, a past fake IRA warning or the weekends Man U "device".

Man U? Secure? Well in my estimation about as secure as collander. Little bit of research, a clipboard, something that looks like a pass and air of authority will do. As it will do for most such places.

For just warnings I'd tend to agree but the device was found at Man. U. Very little choice but to evacuate.

[Nightjar]

On 17/05/2016 17:23, Dave Liquorice wrote: ...

I recall, may years ago, a salesman for a company that made very realistic skeleton models was stopped by the Police at a routine check. They found his sample case, full of what looked like human bones, including a skull. He spent several hours in custody before it was all sorted out.

[F]

The bigger issue is that his 'bomb' wasn't picked up by Man U security in the *days* after he left it. He made a simple (but regrettable!) mistake, they failed completely to do what they had been trained and paid to do over days.

[GB]

Surely, if he was a salesman, he'd have a catalogue and other paperwork to show them? More of an issue if he was a home-worker bringing in his finished work, maybe.

[Nightjar]

AIUI, the problem was that the Police thought the bones looked too realistic to be models and weren't going to let him go until somebody proved they were.