When I was starting out as a young lad in An Garda Síochána, I got a great piece of advice from an old hand.

He told me to be aware of how you engage with people while on duty. He said once you put on the uniform, you become a figure of authority with a certain amount of control, and you should always treat people as you would like your parents to be treated.

He was spot on, and it’s advice that I passed on to many young members of the force in my time. After all, 99% of people we deal with are fine, decent, law-abiding citizens.

Now that I’m retired, I often find myself on the other side of authority and I sometimes come across characters who could do with the advice I got, but it’s no longer my place to hand it out.

Going through airport security in most airports is a bit of a chore at the best of times. The whole process can be confusing due to changing rules in the various airports.

I travel quite a bit. I’ve taken 14 flights in the last eight months alone and there’s another four coming before the end of the year.

So, at this stage, you would imagine I could go through airport security blindfolded - but that’s not the case. Each time is a new experience because the rules........

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