Solomon Islands Government

Officers will request travelers to hand these to them while they proceed through the Walk Through Metal Detector. Officers will hand check the items and pass them back to the travelers

Officers do this in order to make sure that the travelers medicine is not exposed to the magnetic field.

Please refer to the information relating to  Liquids, Aerosols and Gels for more information.

Doctors assure us that the WTMD will not affect Pacemakers. They will not guarantee this 100%, however, and travelers are asked to have a doctor's note indicating that they have a pacemaker.

Please produce this at the time of screening when travelling overseas. Officers will ask that travelers go around the side of the WTMD so that they may be scanned with a hand held metal detector (known as a wand).

Passengers who are checking in for flights are requested to empty their pockets prior to walking through the metal detector (magnetometer) to speed up the process of checking for compliance with flight safety and security rules.

The magnetometer is extremely sensitive to metal and will alert officers to any metal detected on a passengers person. Having passengers empty their pockets reduces the chances that each passenger will need to be checked with a hand-held metal detector and speeds up how fast passenger checks.

Metal that is detected after pockets have been emptied are commonly due to belts, watches, shoes or similar items. If the magnetometer detects metal after a passengers pockets have been emptied, checks with hand-held metal detectors should take less time.

The more efficient a passengers check in process through the magnometer, the quicker that passenger can proceed with their flight process and their travels.

Aviation Security prides itself on ensuring that travelers get to start their holiday peacefully.

When an officer requests travelers to put their electronic equipment through the x-ray for inspection purposes, it is in order to inspect the devices without the need to physically disassemble them.

The easiest way for officers at the terminal to examine such items is to have them removed from travelers hand baggage and put them on the conveyer belt for screening by x-ray. Officers have been trained to recognise any thing unusual and have had specialists test the safety of the x-ray on most brands of equipment in order to assure the safety of travelers valuable items.

Cameras - Generally the x-ray process will have no effect on photographic film, however, travelers are advised that putting over 1600 asa film through the x-ray machine might cause slight imperfections in the film. Since most holidaymakers will use 100, 200 or 400 asa film, this is generally not an issue and this film can be sent through the x-ray with no fear of damage. Officers will allow professional photographers to have their film and cameras hand searched, however, providing they are willing to remove the film. Officers need to do this in order to check the camera and lens inorder to ensure that there is nothing untoward contained within the camera itself.

Computers - X-rays will not affect personal computers; therefore travelers laptops are completely safe while under examination. If a travelers is concerned, however, they are welcome to switch their computer on in front of an Aviation Security Officer once it has been processed in order to ensure that the device has not been affected. Just as a warning, travelers are advised to not use magnetic (floppy disks or hard drives) or optical (compact discs) storage media to safeguard their data as there is a greater risk of the information being wiped from a disk by passing through the WTMD, as this is a magnetic field. The same information applies to computer games.

Video Cameras - These present no problem as the x-ray does not interfere with either the camera's electronics or the video tapes in any way, however, as with the computer information on disk, please be aware that the Walk Thru Metal Detector is a magnetic field and could wipe any information on a videotape passing through.

Should travelers experience a problem with their equipment once it has passed through the screening process, in the first instance please contact the Regional Manager of the airport from which their flight departed.

Once you have completed check-in with the airline, and processed through Emmigration, put your hand baggage through the X-ray machine and have yourself cleared through the Walk Through Metal Detector, you may proceed to the Duty Free Store in the departure lounge.

Officers at the terminal will ask travelers confined to wheelchairs to go around the side of the Walk Through Metal Detector since their chair will activate the detector. Officers will request permission to physically touch passengers in order to screen them with a hand held metal detector around the back area. Officers will also ask permission should the need arise for physical contact on any other parts of the travelers person. Officer will visually check travelers chair and try to cause as little disruption as possible to travelers.

Normally plates and pins do not set off the metal detector, but if it does, officers will ask travelers to step inside a search room (this ensures privacy for you) in order that an officer can visibly sight the scarring and scan them with a hand held scanner.

Having a signed doctor's note will assist making this process painless for travelers.

Officers will ascertain from the attending person if the wheelchair occupant is able to walk through the Walk Through Metal Detector unassisted. If the travelers can do so, an officer will ask that they do this while they push the wheelchair around the side of the WTMD and visually check it. If not, an officer will apply the confined to a wheelchair process.

Officers at the terminal will ask travelers traveling with babies or toddlers to remove their child from the mode of transport and put their carrycot or car seat through the x-ray. In the case of a pram/pushchair, officers may push it around the side of the Walk Through Metal Detector and physically search it. The child will either walk or be carried by travelers through the WTMD.

Since the film has already been exposed and processed, X-ray machines at the terminal cannot harm it. It can safely pass through the screening process.