A passenger has his luggage inspected at the entrance of a subway station in Beijing June 29, 2008. [Xinhua]

The Nanjing Metro authority has announced that bags will be checked by security at the city's 121 subway stations starting Thursday. However, people with expensive bags can get them checked manually rather than putting them through the scanners. The Beijing News commented on Monday:

The official announcement has confirmed that brand name bags will not have to go through the scanners. From a safety perspective there is no difference if the contents are viewed via a machine or not, but the policy has been criticized for being discriminatory.

However, the real problem is the implication that if potential criminals dress well and carry expensive bags they will have no problem using, or worse, attacking the subway.

Since those with expensive bags seem to have easier access to the Nanjing subway than those without, it appears that high-end accessories will be the subway pass of the future.

The announcement also raises questions such as: will the subway security personnel be trained to identify whether the bags are genuine or not? What if most of the passengers carry expensive-looking bags, will there be enough security staff to check all the bags by hand?

The new announcement shouldn't be taken lightly. The undervaluing of people's bags or the discrimination involved might appear to be minor issues, but they are not. Even of greater concern are the loopholes in security that will be created by the policy. The bottom line should be guaranteeing the subway is safe to use.