While Canadian air travellers will soon be baring their private parts for security, thousands of airport employees with access to planes and baggage areas haven’t even been run through police background checks.
Highly placed sources say as of December, more than 4,000 workers without security clearance had access to sensitive areas of Canadian airports.
Many have apparently been working in secure zones for months while they wait for the RCMP and Transport Canada to complete required background checks for possible criminal or terrorist ties.
This week, such a gaping hole in airport security went from bad to bizarre.
Transport Minister John Baird announced all major Canadian airports will soon be equipped with highly intrusive security scanners that can see through a passenger’s clothing.
The move apes similar measures being implemented at American airports following the recent unsuccessful bombing of a Detroit-bound U.S. jetliner by a Nigerian suicide terrorist with exploding undershorts.
Clearly, imposing virtual strip-searches on air travellers while employees aren’t even security cleared is simply double-locking the front door while leaving the back one wide open.
This is not a new issue.
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This problem has been with us a long time. So, who is responsible? Who get’s paid to give clearances? Who continues to hire un-screened workies? Why are they even hired if they don’t have clearance? Which union represents them? Are they the same ones who march down main street under the Hamas or Hezbolla flag? Why do paying passengers have to jump through hoops, while the schlubs loading their bags, servicing the aircraft don’t?
Sorta like hiring Taliban ground crew to service CAF aircraft in A’stan. Fire some people.
Criminal background checks are mandatory for anyone in AB who even applies for a volunteer position with any agency. Must have a criminal check to work for Canada Customs. Why not make it mandatory that anyone working for an airline, in any position, from janitor to pilot.
Here’s the bottom line. The background security check backlog could almost be eliminated if the people tasked with such responsibility were actually required to let alone expected to put in 8 hr days. Going to work is not supposed to be divided 50/50 between work and ones social life. Poorly regulated or unregulated coffee breaks and lunch breaks, exended periods of the work day spent emailing jokes, chatting with co-workers, gossiping on the phone or surfing the net. After nearly 3 decades employed by the government work force I don’t have any problem stating that ALL government agencies work at half throttle at the best of times. If there’s an exception I’d sure like to hear about it. The 50% of those that actually worked took up the slack for the rest. Getting a government job is looked at as a guaranteed work life on ‘easy street’, good pay and benefits without having to do too much in return, becoming ’bullet proof’ (go ahead try and fire somebody) and it is.
Well, I for one dont mind being patted down, as long as its by a female inspector with warm soft hands. I guess I’m a sucker for a soft touch.