Is Sydney airport security adequate? the system trustworthy? (1 Viewer)

[sugaryblue]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=37663

So today's news reported that a customs report revealed that there are criminal offences going on at Sydney airport. As scary as it sounds 'The report also said 39 security screeners out of 500 had serious criminal convictions, 39 had minor criminal convictions and 16 had questionable immigration status.' [news ninemsn]

What frightens me is that the problem IS known, yet there seems to be nothing done about it! Anyone else finds that absurd?

Whoa, to be honest, i suppose it was kinda influenced by the Corby case as well. but since the news has been initially made known a few months ago, I did become more careful on checking my luggage in! Last time when i flew somewhere internationally but only has a carryingbag with me, i didn't check it in coz it wasn't 'safe'. Or at least, i didn't think it would be safe. How long is airport management going to keep travellers in fear before they are going to do something about it?

 

[iamsickofyear12]

I don't really think the security problems at Sydney airport are that big of a deal. Although I will be putting a lock on my bag when I got to Bali in 3 weeks.

 

[Generator]

In their defence, the report in question was based on findings from 2003 (if memory serves, but the report was completed in 2004) and given that it was an internal document and remained so following the investigation's conclusion, you may be able to assume that the problem isn't as bad as some may make it out to be and that the inadequacies have or are being rectified. Then again, the system could still be a murky mess, too.

Edit: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1381032.htm

 

[ogmzergrush]

Frankly, this just screams sensationalist bullshit. Yes, it's a problem. No, it's not anything new. I'd say the average person who is catching a plane has been well aware for quite some time that there is potential for shifty people to do evil deeds at their expense. When will it be fixed so we can sleep at night? No time soon, prepare adequately and hope for the best, there are always going to be people who are keen on doing the wrong thing, all you can do is hope that they never come your way.

"How long is airport management going to keep travellers in fear before they are going to do something about it?"
Are you angling at a job on today tonight or something?

Edit: Re-reading I sound somewhat dismissive of the numbers stated. 39/500 isn't *really* that much, and it's most likely that more invasive background checks would be met with significant resistance anyway. You'll find corrupt people in pretty much any line of work, and I don't see any way to remove them without being unfair to those who are not criminally inclined.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

Frankly, this just screams sensationalist bullshit. Yes, it's a problem. No, it's not anything new. I'd say the average person who is catching a plane has been well aware for quite some time that there is potential for shifty people to do evil deeds at their expense. When will it be fixed so we can sleep at night? No time soon, prepare adequately and hope for the best, there are always going to be people who are keen on doing the wrong thing, all you can do is hope that they never come your way.

There are always going to be things going on that we wouldn't like if we knew about. If not for Schapelle Corby and that moron who was running around the runway with a camel head on we wouldn't know about any of this and we wouldn't care to know.

 

[Wesnat]

The problem with the argument for Corby's innocence is that it has mostly been about whether 'this is possible' or 'that is possible' without any material evidence. Many things around the world happen simultaneously, and without adequate proofs, these people are just relating one thing to another without much merit.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

...wtf? Did people really not know that there were shifty people working at airports?
Shifty people work everywhere!!!! That guy that served ur maccas coke could have quite easily spat in it.

I agree with ogmzergrush - u need a job at today tonight

 

[absolution*]

I wish i could smuggle a hammer into your house so i could beat out the obscene bullshit that seems to have infiltrated your head.

Fuck the system

 

[sugaryblue]

Yeah it could be true that guy at Maccas could have easily done anything in the food. Or call me over sensitive about such issues. and yes, give me a job at Today TOnight or A Current Affair whatever.

However, i think what people must not ignore is that, the airport is supposed to be a place with high security. Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken so much measures in the first place! What happens with 911? we blamed it on airport securities not having enough checks. Yet there is a corrupted system here that has been made known. This is not just a corrupted system we are talking about though, it invovles cross-border crimes that can turn out to be quite serious.

Next time when you travel somewhere and get convicted because SOMEONE smuggled soemthing illegal in your bag, wonder who's gonna have the last laugh?

 

[absolution*]

Yeah it could be true that guy at Maccas could have easily done anything in the food. Or call me over sensitive about such issues. and yes, give me a job at Today TOnight or A Current Affair whatever.

However, i think what people must not ignore is that, the airport is supposed to be a place with high security. Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken so much measures in the first place! What happens with 911? we blamed it on airport securities not having enough checks. Yet there is a corrupted system here that has been made known. This is not just a corrupted system we are talking about though, it invovles cross-border crimes that can turn out to be quite serious.

Next time when you travel somewhere and get convicted because SOMEONE smuggled soemthing illegal in your bag, wonder who's gonna have the last laugh?

I swear, im about to shit all over your face.

 

[Wesnat]

Next time when you travel somewhere and get convicted because SOMEONE smuggled soemthing illegal in your bag, wonder who's gonna have the last laugh?

Someone smuggling something illegal in her bag IS possible. We can't dismiss that possibility. But you can't dismiss the possibility that she is guilty either. As I said, one must come up with a proof to be able to relate one thing to another. That's just the law.

 

[ogmzergrush]

However, i think what people must not ignore is that, the airport is supposed to be a place with high security. Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken so much measures in the first place!

Everywhere is meant to be a place with "high security", in that we're meant to reasonably be able to expect we are safe from the actions of criminals everywhere. As you can see, this isn't the case, and as usual the failing is in people rather than the system.

Yet there is a corrupted system here that has been made known. This is not just a corrupted system we are talking about though, it invovles cross-border crimes that can turn out to be quite serious.

You seem to be significantly overstating the issue. If we assume that the statistics are valid (And that the 39 people with significant criminal charges don't double as the individuals with minor offences, as people *can* have both), and assume that all of the people with "questionable" immigration status are terrorists in waiting (Unlikely, to say the least), you're looking at 18% of the sample, worst case. That's not exactly what I'd call rotten to the core, shit my pants, material.

Next time when you travel somewhere and get convicted because SOMEONE smuggled soemthing illegal in your bag, wonder who's gonna have the last laugh?

Next time we travel, we'll google "Travel tips" and find approximately one metric fuckload of sites which explain to us that we should take simple precautions, like locking our luggage, not letting it out of our sight for as long as possible, etc. Of course I'm not implying that these will guarantee your safety, but hopefully those combined with the law of probability will mean that you are unlikely to come to harm due to the actions of the sinister 18%.

 

[Generator]

Someone smuggling something illegal in her bag IS possible. We can't dismiss that possibility. But you can't dismiss the possibility that she is guilty either. As I said, one must come up with a proof to be able to relate one thing to another. That's just the law.

This isn't a Corby thread, btw.

 

[ogmzergrush]

Give it time

 

[Wesnat]

Of course, with this report, people will use their 'intuitive thinking' to say "you see, Corby is definitely innocent!!"

EDIT: Generator, it's bound to happen. The topic creator mentioned it...

 

[Generator]

Nobody has yet, though, and the only substantial reference to Corby was when the thread's creator noted that the Corby event had heightened her sense of paranoia. Please don't let the childish part of the pro-Corby lobby gain a foothold in this thread, as that isn't the issue being discussed.

 

[ogmzergrush]

I think Wesnat is trying to put ideas in their heads Of course it's a valid possibility, but drawing an absolute conclusion on her innocence due to this would be ridiculous.

 

[spell check]

Everywhere is meant to be a place with "high security", in that we're meant to reasonably be able to expect we are safe from the actions of criminals everywhere. As you can see, this isn't the case, and as usual the failing is in people rather than the system.


You seem to be significantly overstating the issue. If we assume that the statistics are valid (And that the 39 people with significant criminal charges don't double as the individuals with minor offences, as people *can* have both), and assume that all of the people with "questionable" immigration status are terrorists in waiting (Unlikely, to say the least), you're looking at 18% of the sample, worst case. That's not exactly what I'd call rotten to the core, shit my pants, material.

yeah i guess that is why abc news and the seven thirty report felt the need to report these findings in a secret customs report as highly important and controversial

good one douchebags, the airport of course must be more secure than mcdonalds, i think finding a fair proportion of airport workers to be engaging in criminal activities or ex criminals is a pretty big deal

you seem to be significantly knowing nothing about the issue

 

[ogmzergrush]

yeah i guess that is why abc news and the seven thirty report felt the need to report these findings in a secret customs report as highly important and controversial

A secret report telling us shit we already knew? woah!

good one douchebags, the airport of course must be more secure than mcdonalds, i think finding a fair proportion of airport workers to be engaging in criminal activities or ex criminals is a pretty big deal

Your spelling is obviously superb, now it's time to work on reading. I'm not entirely sure if you're responding to me (You seem to imply it by quoting me, but I can't figure out how this relates to what I've said at all). I never said the airport was more secure than McDonalds, I said of course there are evil-doers working there, just like everywhere else. I also said that 18%, at worst, of the sample group is not exactly what I'd call material for being terror-stricken. You're right though, it is a big deal, but it's also a big deal everyone's known about for as long as I can remember.

you seem to be significantly knowing nothing about the issue

You know what, you're totally right. From now on I'm never catching planes anywhere, because, holy fuck, all of a sudden I know there are people up to no good, employed at our OWN airports. Oh my god, there might even be terrorists, holy shit, I'm going to go put my tinfoil hat back on and double my bunker-digging efforts right now!

 

[Wesnat]

Nobody has yet, though, and the only substantial reference to Corby was when the thread's creator noted that the Corby event had heightened her sense of paranoia. Please don't let the childish part of the pro-Corby lobby gain a foothold in this thread, as that isn't the issue being discussed.

Fair enough. But either way, someone's gonna start saying that this is proof of Corby's innocence, and the cycle will go on. As Zergrush said, I was attempting to establish that such argument is already discredited in this topic.

Anyway, back to topic, I actually agree with Spell Check in that the report is necessary in raising public awareness of security issues in the airport. The only thing I fear is... well, I won't say it anymore (hint: read my previous posts).