man allowed to board plane after pipe bomb confiscated

[The_Squid]

This is sheer idiocy. The security personnell should be fired and the security company should be turfed.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/15/alberta-teen-caught-with-pipe-bomb-at-edmonton-airport-allowed-to-board-flight-not-arrested-until-return-to-canada-a-week-later/

Skylar Vincent Murphy of Spruce Grove, Alta. had a pipe bomb confiscated by security officials last fall, but the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) isn’t saying why it allowed the 18-tear-old to carry on with his flight after discovering the explosive device.

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Officials with CATSA, who aren’t allowed to arrest or hold passengers, are supposed to call police if something illegal is found. However, in this case, CATSA did not notify the RCMP until Sept. 24, 2013, four days after discovering the device.

Why was he allowed to board the plane?

Why weren't the RCMP even contacted?

What did they do with the pipe bomb... throw it in the garbage???

You get what you pay for... and we have "security" at our airports who are poorly trained and are paid peanuts. It's pathetic.

[Guest]

I read that this morning. Utterly bizarre. I remember thinking that there must be a lot more to it than was reported in the article.

A penalty of a year's probation and a $100 fine seems to indicate that too.

[overthere]

Imagine the penalty if he'd gone through security with something really dangerous, like a bottle of water.

[Big Guy]

It sounds to me like the guy with the bomb was Fred from the old Fred and Sam story of statistical analysis;

Sam and Fred were both young professionals who used the airplane to get to and from their jobs every day. They would sit together and pass the time in various ways. One day, Sam took his regular seat but Fred did not show. This went on for about two weeks when one morning Sam took his regular seat and Fred slid in next to him. After exchanging greetings, Sam asked where Fred had been.

Fred looked around so no one was listening and quietly said to Sam, “Hey Sam, a couple of weeks ago I read that the chances of a bomb being on an airplane were about one in 75 million. Those odds were too close for me, scared me and so I started taking the train.”

“So” asked Sam, “why are you now back using the airplane?”

Fred whispered, three days ago, I read that the chance of two bombs being on the same airplane were about one in 68 trillion. Those odds are acceptable to me. So - now, every time I fly I carry my own bomb!

[GostHacked]

And we are to believe that these people are going to keep our skies safe. A horrible joke. A pipe bomb? Why was this guy not charged with attempted terrorism or some crap like that?

Last time I went through the airport, the ladies were looking at the PC screen intensely as it was going through the scanner. I had some audio gear with me. I offered to take it out and show them. They have no idea what they are looking at most of the time. Not the first time I had experienced this either.

This was the item in question.

[Boges]

Yet I can't have a tube of sunscreen larger than 3 oz. SCREW THESE GUYS!!!

[Argus]

Why is anyone surprised at this? Canada is now the ONLY nation on this planet which sub-contracts its airport security to minimum wage private security outfits. The US used to do it too, but that changed after 9/11. These jobs are monotonous, require you to be on your feet a lot, deal with a lot of unhappy people, and so are quite stressful. The screeners work for security companies and get few or no benefits along with a pay rate which is generally about a buck or so over minimum wage. The turnover rate is very high, so the security companies are constantly recruiting, and if they have high standards, well, they won't get the bodies they need to fill their contract with CATSA. So standards for hiring are extremely low. If you have at least some command of English and no criminal record, well, that's pretty much it. As I might have mentioned before, I was a security guard many years ago, and have worked for a number of these companies. I know the kind of people who get hired. They are composed of lots of immigrants and refugees who have no real job skills, oddballs who can't hold jobs, college students in summer, and part-time, and other people drifting between this and that job, a few would-be cops wanting a security type job on their resume, and some just plain losers who can't get anything better. That's who we're putting up against dedicated terrorists.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Argus

[guyser]

Why is anyone surprised at this? Canada is now the ONLY nation on this planet which sub-contracts its airport security to minimum wage private security outfits. The US used to do it too, but that changed after 9/11.

Uh no. Look around, dont go too far either, La Guardia, JFK...and perhaps 18 more.

[Argus]

Uh no. Look around, dont go too far either, La Guardia, JFK...and perhaps 18 more.

There are some contaracted outfits in some airports under the partnership program. However, they are required to meet the same standards of hiring, pay and benefits as federal screeners. My point is the jobs have been upgraded and are no longer the last resort of the unskilled.

ATSA mandates private screening companies to provide compensation and other benefits to their screeners that are not less than the level of compensation and other benefits provided to comparable Federal Government personnel. In accordance with the contract for private screening services, TSA verifies the contractor’s certification that labor rates meet the ATSA minimum rates.

http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/frequently-asked-questions-program Edited January 17, 2014 by Charles Anthony
added quotation box

[guyser]

There are some contaracted outfits in some airports under the partnership program. However, they are required to meet the same standards of hiring, pay and benefits as federal screeners. My point is the jobs have been upgraded and are no longer the last resort of the unskilled.

http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/frequently-asked-questions-program

Did you know CATSA doesnt train our personnel but contracts third party to do so?

At any event, blaming the security company for hiring lackeys is probably the Govts fault for the way they wrote the contracts that were bidded on. It would be easy for the govt to include min wages to be paid that would allow for the companies to hire decent individuals.

[The_Squid]

Did you know CATSA doesnt train our personnel but contracts third party to do so?

At any event, blaming the security company for hiring lackeys is probably the Govts fault for the way they wrote the contracts that were bidded on. It would be easy for the govt to include min wages to be paid that would allow for the companies to hire decent individuals.

There is no need to set wages.

They should set the mandatory training and reporting and auditing functions to ensure that these companies are hiring people who have the skill sets to do the jobs. If they need training and some skill/intelligence, wages would have to go up to hire, train and retain these people. Instead of people who know how to wave a wand and confiscate shampoo, they become security professionals.

[guyser]

There is no need to set wages.

Then you get what we got.

Ya happy?

They should set the mandatory training and reporting and auditing functions to ensure that these companies are hiring people who have the skill sets to do the jobs. If they need training and some skill/intelligence, wages would have to go up to hire, train and retain these people. Instead of people who know how to wave a wand and confiscate shampoo, they become security professionals.

The contracts stipulate all of that with the exception of the wages.

Ergo.....Edmonton.

ETS..wait a sec, you started this thread with 'ya get what you pay for" ....and now you think no wages should be set by CATSA?

Edited January 18, 2014 by Guyser2

[overthere]

Starting wages for airport security people at Edmonton Airport is about $21/hour. They would not have too much trouble getting reasonably competent people for that amount, given that it is clean, indoor work that is not overly physical. On the down side: shift work, dealing with many idiots, and public transit to Edmonton International is poor. Of course, the person(s) who wanted to let this guy cack onto the plane with a bomb would not fit the description of 'reasonably competent'. Paying more would not mean they did not hire the odd idiot.

The minimum wage in AB is $9.95, though a great many businesses pay more than minimum because they simply cannot get staff otherwise in a tight labour market.

When taxes are factored in, AB has the second highest minimum wage in Canada.

[GostHacked]

Yet I can't have a tube of sunscreen larger than 3 oz. SCREW THESE GUYS!!!

You can't even take your coffee past the line. Had to throw out one just because of that, only had a couple sips out of it.

Not just 'these guys' but the other guys making the rules for these people to follow. Politicians need to be engaged to correct this and get real security instead of this joke.

I got pulled aside for extra screening one time. I was wearing sandles, shorts and a tank top. Not sure where I could hide anything. But they spent a lot of time using the scanners over my bare arms and legs. Maybe it was the comment in line I made about noticing the Americans taking off their shoes (this was Vancouver I.A.)

[Argus]

There is no need to set wages.

They should set the mandatory training and reporting and auditing functions to ensure that these companies are hiring people who have the skill sets to do the jobs. If they need training and some skill/intelligence, wages would have to go up to hire, train and retain these people. Instead of people who know how to wave a wand and confiscate shampoo, they become security professionals.

When you set low wages, which you do by hiring the lowest bidder, you are going to get very low quality employees and very high turnover for an unpleasant job. There's no getting around that. You don't need a degree to do this stuff. You simply need a certain level of intelligence and commitement. Intelligent people don't commit to minimum wage jobs. Nobody does. They simply coast until they can find something better, then leave.

[Argus]

Starting wages for airport security people at Edmonton Airport is about $21/hour.

Do you hace a cite for that? One guy I know who worked at the airport here said it was $11.40.

The minimum wage in AB is $9.95, though a great many businesses pay more than minimum because they simply cannot get staff otherwise in a tight labour market.

When taxes are factored in, AB has the second highest minimum wage in Canada.

I don't know what the labour situation is in Edmonton. I know that labour was so tight years back in some US communities that fast food shops had to pay $20 an hour to get staff. Maybe that would explain it. But if you're in a market that tight, you need to be paying a lot more to attract quality people.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Argus