The Nose Knows, Doesn’t It?

Cultural insensitivity can clog security mechanisms. This sometimes becomes a laughing matter – as in London the other night – but appraising what security devices, or even human noses, are actually detecting is a continuing challenge to effectiveness.

Emergency workers wearing protective breathing masks, the London Telegraph reports, were called to a shopping street in London’s Soho district. Police cordoned off three streets and firefighters smashed down a door after reports were received that a chemical attack was occurring. But all they found was a Thai cook preparing chilli sauce.

“Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon, the chef at Thai Cottage, was preparing nam prik pao, a specialist dipping sauce made with deliberately burnt dry-fried chillies, when the emergency workers burst in. Restaurant staff, who are used to the pungent aroma, were baffled when firefighters broke down their door…”

Prudence is advisable, surely. Yet the challenge to site protection systems is somehow to have enough confidence in detection finesse – either to design discrimination capability into systems, or refine procedures sufficiently – that security processes aren’t exposed to ridicule. No small challenge to human intelligence when even noses can be fooled.