5 HRS IN AN ALGERIAN POLICE STATION

ALGIERS

5 hrs in an Algerian police station.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM, WHAT LANGUAGE DO YOU SPEAK, WHAT IS YOUR JOB!!

Many airports x-ray your bags upon arrival but mainly look for explosives and firearms. Immigration officers usually search for liquids, electronics, etc., in more detail. That was until I returned to Algiers airport for my domestic flight to Constantine.

STRICT

A lot of airports around the world have your bags x-rayed upon arriving, but in essence, they aren’t looking for much other than explosives and firearms. Security officers usually search for liquids, electronics, etc., in more detail. That was until I returned to Algiers airport for my domestic flight to Constantine.

I never took front door security seriously and wondered about its purpose. I never had anything forbidden in my bag, so security never stopped me until now.

5 hrs in an Algerian police station

THE DRONE

Through the scan the security guy asked me to open my bag to which I happily obliged as I felt once I did he would take a quick look and send me on my way. After looking through it he picked up my drone and immediately had an issue with it.

He chatted with his friends, asked why I had a drone, and then we headed to the police station. I was calm, thinking they might just warn me. I still believed I’d catch my flight in an hour.

MEMORY CARD

I assumed he was told to go to airside immigration/customs, so we took a police jeep around the airport. No one could be seen here and the fella seemed a little lost, so we hung around for a while.

I was sure I’d lose my drone and knew it was time for damage control. The memory card was still in it with photos of France, but I used the excuse of putting the camera lens cover back on and, at the same time, removed the memory card and slid it into my pocket. Result!

IT WAS GETTING REAL

After waiting for customs to open, we were told to return to the police station to find an alternative method. In hindsight, they were trying to find someone to confiscate the drone, as that’s what would have happened if I was caught with it coming into Algeria, but the fact I had made it into the country with it was throwing people off.

Escorted by three policemen, we returned to the station. I watched my plane depart. Now the feeling of calm was starting to leave my body and the anxiety was quickly creeping in.

5 hrs in an Algerian police station

WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

We hung around for another while, and the boss man (he was scolding the guard who had been with me) started to ask me questions that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood script.

“Where are you from, what language do you speak, what is your job?!”

We were then told to go to the International terminal and meet with another senior. He wasn’t too bad and, after 45 minutes, had me sign pages and take fingerprints, but found errors. Nearly three hours had passed, and no one told me what was happening.

5 hrs in an Algerian police station

WEE COP

Back into another police car and back to the police station again. A young cop (let’s call him wee cop) who seemed to think he was in charge and enjoyed giving out orders to a white boy told me to sit in a room and wait.

I sat on my phone texting my guide who had shown me around Algiers what was happening, and he was very concerned. I had to let him know so I had someone there who knew where I was. The wee cop stuck his head into the room and shouted, “No phones!” which was fair enough until two other fellas joined me and were free to make phone calls!

5 hrs in an Algerian police station

QUESTIONING

After another lengthy wait, the boss approached me and asked the same questions again, generally about my job, and then led me into a room for questioning. Here, I sat in front of another cop and a translator, and I spent the next hour answering questions. The translator was kind, and I could finally ask what was happening. I asked if they were accusing me of being a spy, and he shrugged his shoulders.

Questions such as did I know it was illegal to bring a drone into Algeria, did I use it, and if I knew someone in the airport that helped me smuggle it in. The wee cop came in and asked if I had anything else to go with the drone, like a controller. I played dumb (easy for me) and said the phone acts as the controller, but unfortunately, they weren’t buying it.

FINGER PRINTS

Then they asked for the charger, and the playing dumb thing didn’t work there either, so I had to hand over the lot. However, as I had preempted the memory card question, I just said it’s all inside and you’ll need to connect it with a cable. Little did they know it was sitting nicely in my trouser pocket.

The translator said I wouldn’t get my drone for 10 days because it needed forensic examination. I was leaving Algeria in 2 days, so that was the last time I’d get to see it!

After more questions, forms, and fingerprints, I moved to another room for photos with my passport and drone. In forensics, they took more photos and about 70 fingerprints, covering my hands in black and red ink.

NEW INTINERARY

After waiting, the forensics team looked at me as if to say, ‘why are you here?’ and told me I could leave. The relief was incredible but I wasn’t counting my chickens until I was out of the country.

After leaving forensics, the first port of call was to check for the next flight to Constantine. Some people thought I was mad to want to stay around for another few days, but I really wanted to see this place—it’s meant to be special! Unfortunately, every flight was full that day and the next, so there was little I could do. I called my guide, Wassim, who had arranged my guide in Constantine. It turns out he didn’t get any of my messages, and my guide was still waiting for me at Constantine airport. I felt super guilty!

BACK TO THE ICE CREAM

He canceled his plans after hearing what happened and offered to show me around for the day. It was a great call and a welcome distraction! We headed to the shopping mall for some Middle Eastern food and then played a bit of 10-pin bowling. It was exactly what I needed, and of course, to finish the day off, we went back to the ice cream shop he took me to on the first day. The smile was well and truly back on my face.

I’ve been through a fair bit on my travels and one thing it has taught me is to never let anything ruin your trip! I could have done without losing my bag twice and being held at gunpoint, but these events put things in perspective.

WASSIM

I stayed at Hotel Elhidhab that night as it was across the road from the airport and a lot cheaper than the previous hotel, the WiFi actually worked which was a bonus. More African logic when they gave me two options for rooms and after choosing cheaper room I was given the better one.

Anyway, I checked in and said my goodbyes to Wassim and thanked him for his help! Wassim owns the travel company Algeria Travel 16 and had organized all the logistics for my trip. I honestly couldn’t fault him, his wife, or any of his colleagues—truly some of the best hosts I have met. This is not an ad, and I paid full price for my trip, but I am thankful for Wassim looking after me that day. That really goes for everyone in Algeria apart from a few policemen.

MORE PROBLEMS

After chilling out the rest of the day and keeping a low profile, all the drama was not over. My room had a view of a construction site and some cranes, so I decided to take a time-lapse for 10 minutes and left the camera on the balcony pointing out the window. When I returned to the balcony, a few locals were shouting, asking why I was taking photos. Oh ffs, that was the last thing I needed. So I took the camera, closed the curtains, and turned off the light. I’m not moving a muscle until tomorrow when I would get pulled aside by another policeman at Batna airport.

FINAL THOUGHTS

You win or your learn and I suppose today I got schooled!

NEXT UP

Pushing a police officer and arriving in Constantine. Click to read.

SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
134/229

This post is part of The Algeria Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.