Airport critic warned by police over ‘security risk’
A PROMINENT figure in Guernsey’s finance industry says he was detained by police yesterday and advised to be very careful regarding his social media criticism of Guernsey Airport’s security procedures.
David Piesing, a vocal opponent of the current screening process operated by security firm G4S, said he was taken aside by an officer in plain-clothes when he entered the departure lounge yesterday morning.
A joint spokesman for Guernsey Airport and Bailiwick Law Enforcement said they had spoken to an individual following online comments regarding airport security.
Mr Piesing, who is a supporter of sports in the island, believes the airport’s current measures to be heavy-handed and inefficient and he challenged the appropriateness of the police intervention.
He pointed out that any opinions he voiced were a civil matter and should therefore fall outside of the remit of the police.
The officer allegedly responded that it would no longer be the case if the comments became abusive, threatening or overstepped the mark, though, according to Mr Piesing, the officer failed to provide any examples of specific offences.
If the officer’s actions were designed to deter free speech, Mr Piesing said they had the opposite effect because he has since documented the experience on Twitter. He has demanded a response from Guernsey Airport management, who he suspects had a hand in the incident.
He said he would not be intimidated by what happened.
‘Apart from the police wrongly interfering in what is very clearly a civil matter, if indeed it is a matter at all, it is deeply disturbing that the airport security authorities thought it remotely appropriate to attempt to ‘silence’ me in this way by getting the police involved,’ he said.
‘Somebody’s head should roll over that.’
Airport funding and security has long been a controversial topic and Mr Piesing thinks his experience raises questions over free speech, police overreach and even data protection laws.
Mr Piesing says he plans to lodge a formal complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner.
‘It is a clear and blatant breach of GDPR to misuse airline passenger list information for anything other than bona fide security issues, border control checks or other criminal matters.’
To use it for attempting to quash well-deserved public criticism of a taxpayer-funded service is a breach.”
Home Affairs president Mary Lowe advised Mr Piesing to file his complaints through official channels.
A joint spokesman for Guernsey Airport and Bailiwick Law Enforcement said: ‘Guernsey Airport and Bailiwick Law Enforcement take border security extremely seriously and the safety of passengers is paramount.
‘Previous specific online comments referencing elements of Guernsey Airport security were reviewed and resulted in a law enforcement officer speaking with an individual about the content of certain social media posts and specifically the phrasing used to ensure that there could be no further security risk.’
