Mystery on the barge

Scotland Yard shouldn’t have to don deerstalkers to get to the bottom of the matter. Rana himself has revealed that he was invited by officials close to Prince Charles on the basis of his community work. They asked no questions,so he did not press a copy of his biodata on them. The mystery Sikh is no mystery at all. This is a classic case of surveillance being relaxed because the subject comes vouched for. Precisely what makes phishing such a lucrative pastime. As the apocryphal saying goes,“The weakest link in computer security is the idiot sitting at the keyboard.”

The idiots are everywhere. Even the best are idiots. The US Transportation Security Administration,Homeland Security’s first line of defence against the next 9/11,permits unusual items in carry-on luggage. They allow scissors up to four inches long and screwdrivers and wrenches up to seven inches long — potentially,lethal weapons. In comparison with the danger this poses,letting a middle-aged and probably reformed sex offender get in a boat with the Queen looks like a minor failing.