Customs drill holes in my Police bayonet

**joey** · 02-05-2021, 04:42 AM

Hi all I had a German police bayonet arrive today from England and customs have removed the badge and drilled holes in the handle

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 02-05-2021 04:42 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**KMMorris** · 02-05-2021, 04:53 AM

Do you mind me ask if you had it sent with a national mail service (UK Post, DE post) or a express carrier (Fedex, DHL)?

**joey** · 02-05-2021, 05:23 AM

Uk post but it was opened here in Australia because it had their inspection tape on it

**MAP** · 02-05-2021, 05:27 AM

Is this a common issue? Is it even allowed?

**joey** · 02-05-2021, 05:31 AM

It’s a first for me

**MAP** · 02-05-2021, 05:34 AM

I don't live down under but I have never heard of this before.

**KMMorris** · 02-05-2021, 05:40 AM

If your having knives, daggers or swords shipped to Australia by regular mail there is a very good chance they will get opened and played with, especially staghorn or natural grips because Aus Customs are nutcases due to our Quarantine and biosecurity laws. I would always suggest having it sent with an express carrier to Aus because only about 5% of express goods actually get x-rayed from express carriers. Talking from a place of 15 years as a customs officer.

If it was incorrectly labelled or did not acknowledge it had natural grips sadly Customs here have the right without contacting you to open your item and "inspect it" in your case it would seem very liberally.
They probably saw a natural abases in the stag grip where some dust and degrading stag had settled hence their fear/interest in drugs being in it or bugs ect.
Items coming from Europe get a lot more attention than things from the US.

Really nothing you can do in terms of challenging them ect, apart from a letter to Department of homeland, however that would just be raging against the machine I'm afraid.

Morris

**MAP** · 02-05-2021, 05:44 AM

by KMMorris

If your having knives, daggers or swords shipped to Australia by regular mail there is a very good chance they will get opened and played with, especially staghorn or natural grips because Aus Customs are nutcases due to our Quarantine and biosecurity laws. I would always suggest having it sent with an express carrier to Aus because only about 5% of express goods actually get x-rayed from express carriers. Talking from a place of 15 years as a customs officer.

If it was incorrectly labelled or did not acknowledge it had natural grips sadly Customs here have the right without contacting you to open your item and "inspect it" in your case it would seem very liberally.
They probably saw a natural abases in the stag grip where some dust and degrading stag had settled hence their fear/interest in drugs being in it or bugs ect.

Really nothing you can do in terms of challenging them ect, apart from a letter to Department of homeland, however that would just be raging against the machine I'm afraid.

Morris

Interesting Morris

And here I thought it has something to do with the insignia.

**KMMorris** · 02-05-2021, 05:46 AM

by MAP

Interesting Morris

And here I thought it has something to do with the insignia.

Thankful as yet we do not have any censorship laws on forbidden symbols.

**Anderson** · 02-05-2021, 05:51 AM

A rare case but I agree with Morris thinking. Animal horn grips could attract biosecurity scrutiny in some countries and the rivets in this type do look a little odd, like the grips have been removed (as they were 80 years ago!) but hidden contraband a possible reason. But you've incurred damage that will effect it's value, might be worth a complaint. Why didn't they x-ray?