Canada's airport security continues to be a sick joke

[Argus]

Its been 25 years since Air India, but complacency remains thick and heavy at Canadian airports. Screening of airport and airline staff continues to be haphazard, allowing many criminals, and who knows who else, to work in sensitive areas. Remember last year when John Baird wandered around secure areas at pearson airport without much difficulty?

Has anyone heard of any major efforts at improving security since then? Has anyone seen what these screeners and security people look like? Do they fill you with confidence?

Canada remains the last country in the western world - perhaps in the entire world - who use non-government, lowest bidder private contractors to take care of airport security and screening. Needless to say, they are poorly trained, and most seem to be recent immigrants - from the very countries one would expect terrorism to originate. Background checks on these employees are not done in anything like a timely fashion and not at all thorough. Turnover remains high, so hiring remains steady.

Airport Security Remains Weak

Everyone who travels by plane today always has security on their mind. From the increased security checking at airports to the tightened flight rules policy regarding the movement of pilots in and out of the cockpit the 9/11 incident has waken everyone in the airline industry and the FAA up. On a recent trip to Toronto I had a shocking experience when both Air Canada and Toronto International Airport showed a lack in security measures and ignorance to passenger safety.

Canadian airport security lax

For the convenience of terrorists, the government lets you know which low-rent security guard companies you need to apply to for the various airport screening positions.

Airport Screening Officers Wanted

Complaints against screeners

[Smallc]

Canada remains the last country in the western world - perhaps in the entire world - who use non-government, lowest bidder private contractors to take care of airport security and screening.

Yeah...the rest of the world just uses low paid government employees.

[Argus]

Yeah...the rest of the world just uses low paid government employees.

You really are the perfect voter from a government perspective. You are seemingly content with almost anything.

Government employees tend to have a continuity and a pay and benefits package which lends itself to low turnover and a higher experience level. They are also less likely to be terrorists or terrorist supporters.

[William Ashley]

You really are the perfect voter from a government perspective. You are seemingly content with almost anything.

Government employees tend to have a continuity and a pay and benefits package which lends itself to low turnover and a higher experience level. They are also less likely to be terrorists or terrorist supporters.

Airport security is actually pretty sick but no joke. There is a threshold -

My last time at pearson

I arrived to a entry clearance station room (the main one) to see it about 1/3 full - the busiest I've ever seen it - it must have been 2 or 3 planes all at the same time. and it was like that more or less constantly.

I didn't get sent to immediate secondary as I have been twice before..

and passed through the exit code point / mark point for the declaration

in baggage on my way to final clearance I got stopped and asked to see my declaration (first time this has ever happened to me)

then I got sent into level 3 - that is when you go to the right instead of the left (this is the 3rd time or so out of around 5 flights from pearson)

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The problem with airport security is not that they arn't doing their job, much to my shagrin.

The issue is that the methods used are at times secondary not jsut some passanger such as myself.

It actually doesn't make much sense what they are looking for in the multi level screenings other than verifying information they believe untrue becuase they ask the same questions at every stage - you'd almost expect new questions to make up for the time required, or a code to be transfered on the persons clearance point, example each arrival point having their own code - eg. passport scanned passport code stores video/audio recording of all questionings or a hastle factor (my guess is the declaration check in baggage was just to check to see if I had a bag to pick up?? maybe??) - for me the extended screenings usually occur when someone is waiting outside the airport to pick me up. This is one of the main reasons it frustrates me, because I have people waiting when the screening is going on.

It wouldn't be as bad if they let people make a phone call during screening with an available phone - perhaps while waiting in line. (it might give extra intel also) but it would also for lost time in scheduled pickups or otherwise to be deadened a bit.

The real issue with security is usually in staff, such as the recent arrest of 5 or 6 people, and this has happened in the past.

Or the recent case of the air canada employee who was importing drugs so said to london uk in their flight bags.

As for other issues, there are presumably easier methods of importing "contraband" or bypassing customs than through carrying it on you through a secure check point.

For Canadians, I think this is why biometric identification is important. I don't see much of a reason why candians need to be delayed - unless it is solely customs violations people are looking for not security concerns at all.

Since I have no idea what they are actually looking for, I really don't know how the system could be improved.

I don't recall seeing dogs or hidden chemical analyzers like they do on the manual patdown on the way out. (I opted not to get the body scan after the recent skin cancer reports)

they do the swab before boarding but not on return meaning they have higher security for outgoing bombs than ingoing ones in terms of detection.

If it is drugs, they don't seem to have drug interdiction units like K9 that I can see. or chemical trace scans.

Other than this no clue...

but no they are very thourough - but my only qualm is that it seems to eat up time.. but it is a form of screening as far as I can tell.. that is pretty much it.

I really don't get why it is even needed. Perhaps someone can provide a little more info why airport security is set up the way it is?

I'm pretty sure there are some hidden systems potentially though. Specifically certain passive scanning systems (potentially)... that they arn't telling people about.. but I have no evidence of this.

Edited December 23, 2010 by William Ashley

[Saipan]

Airport Security is run by politically correct IDIOTS.

Everyone knows who the potential terrorists are but the "security" is wasting time with body search of people like for example 60 year old Caucassian lady.

Political correctness is costing us billions without being any safer.

[Smallc]

You really are the perfect voter from a government perspective. You are seemingly content with almost anything.

Government employees tend to have a continuity and a pay and benefits package which lends itself to low turnover and a higher experience level. They are also less likely to be terrorists or terrorist supporters.

Yes, people involved in private enterprise are often terrorists. What are you, a communist? The most important thing in airport security is good intelligence. Now, so far, we seem to have done a good job of keeping the skies safe, don't you think? I'm not terribly worried about it, and I'm not willing to put up with continually increasing security hassles.

As for my vote, it isn't at all safe as far as the Conservative government is concerned...it's just that at the moment, the opposition is full of idiots.