In fact, this is such a serious issue, I think the authoriities are really pussy-footing around. About 9 months ago, as I was departing from Kathmandu on a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, I had unwittingly, at the last minute whilst packing my gear in the hotel, thrown a wine bottle opener into my hand luggage.
On screening at the airport, the x-ray picked up this bottle opener which had a small knife with a 1 1/2" blade. I was taken aside and had to wait half an hour whilst someone prepared the paper work for this item to be transported, separate from my person, and handed to me on arrival in Bangkok.
On the one hand, one might get some comfort from the thoroughness of such detection. On the other hand, one might also get the impression that the system might fail to see the forest for the trees.
Having passed through a number of international airports in the past few years, I'm struck by how inconsistent, cumbersome and inefficient the checking procedures are. Sometimes they are rigorous to the point of farce and sometimes completely slack.
On one occasion, departing from Brisbane airport in Australia, I was asked to remove my trouser braces, despite protestations that my trousers might fall down.
Let's go the whole hog for the sake of our own safety. All baggage without exception should be transported on a separate aircraft, period.