It has recently been discovered that many baggage handlers at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport are part of a drug syndicate set up to smuggle drugs in and out of the country.
19 people had been under observation for some time and two have recently been fired. The breach came as a result of a lack of security cameras in vital areas allowing people to do as they pleased when in these areas.
The federal government has called for an imediate upgrade to all areas in regards to security, which has been given the go ahead by all union factions involved especially the union of the baggage handlers who want to catch those in the wrong and clear those in the right.
Of the 19 under susspicion, 7 have been stood down pending an inquiry and the others are not allowed to work without Australian Federal Police peresnt.
All this comes too late to save Shapelle Corby (27), who has been convicted of Drug Smuggeling in a denpasar court last Friday. Corby has received a 20 year sentence but proclaims here innocence. The Australian government had sent a letter to the court telling of the baggage handlers who may have tampered with her luggage and noted that one of the people fired had been working that day. But the letter didn’t hold enough weight to free Corby and many in Australia are now asking what was in the letter and why the government hadn’t done more to help her.
A backlash of this case is that now Australians have now declared that Bali is off their holiday list, Denpasar has pleaded to those in Australia not to make any harsh judgments based on what has happened, Australian’s making up over 30% of Bali’s anual income each year. Another back lash is in the fact that many Australian’s are now choosing not to fly out of Sydney. Sydney Airport lacks one crusial piece of security, Shrink Wrapping of luggage, something Melbourne and Brisbane do offer at a small cost.
By: Ja Worsley - 7th June 2005 at 20:01
Announced today were new measure to make the airports in Australia more secure, these include the following measures which will affect all 70,000 people who work at all the airports around Australia in every capacity:
1. All members of Airport Staff will no undergo a full background check by Australian Federal Police for any previous offence. Those will any will be prioritised in a catagory class. Anyone in the High Priority will loose their job with no recourse at all, and they will have a permanent mark against their name, these include people who have offended and still continue to do so. Medium Priority people are those who have not long completed sentances or who are serving part-time gaol sentances for any crime, they will be monitored as to their activities and judged on a case by case scenario, those who are trying to do the right thing will be allowed to keep their jobs but will not be permitted into sencative areas. Those with a Low Priority will be allowed into most areas without supervision. Everyone working at the airports will also have to undergo a full security check before being given a clearence, this will include advancement in grades. Anyone found to be committing an offence in the future may have their privlidges reduced or even taken away, though there are cases where the person may be gaoled. The Government wish to clearly state that there is no “Zero Tollerance” Pollicy in place, though it is possible that one maybe implimented later on.
2. All areas that are security sencative will now be fully guarded or monitored. All Airports are to receive a full security upgrade, which will include electronic devices on par to those used in military establishments. The cost of all this is to be passed on to the travelers who the government think “won’t mind paying an extra buck for the security and their safe being”(Nice to know that they are thinking of us, I hope that they will drop some of the excessive taxes that come with flying out of Sydney where an International ticket could cost you up to $300 extra in taxes and charges. Or perhaps dropping the now useless Anset levy since that issue is now a mute point- Domestic flights are also slugged with excessive charges that can see anything up to $180 charges on top of any ticket purchace. All these charges make Sydeny the most expencive airport in Australia to fly from, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast are not far behind).
3. A new “Head of Security” position is to be created for all Major airports. The Officer in this position will be tasked with all security matters including who to hire and who to fire. All contract security will report to this person and if a security company is found to be lacking in any area of their duties, the Officer has the right to dismiss the employees of that company and terminate it’s contract on the spot. All security in on and around the airports are to report directly to the Officer and the Officer reports to both the Australian Federal Police and the National Government.
4. All contract security companies are to have their people reviewed under these new laws, the same implications and assesment rules will apply to them as outlined in 1. though if it is found that a company knows about the criminal history of it’s employees but still send them they will be terminated forthwith. Also if a company has to many employees in the High Priority catagory they are still to be terminated as the said company would be deemed a laiability risk (I imagine that a few companies will spend tonight reviewing their staff).
5. Anyone with a previous connection to any cartel or terrorist orginisation will be immediately relieved of duties and taken into custody by the Australian Federal Police, these include foregin nationals, who maybe repatriated or detained in facilities here, in anycase they are all to be processed by the laws of Australia.
All these new rules and laws are to come into effect immediately.
By: Ja Worsley - 1st June 2005 at 07:55
I just heard on the 16:30 news, that the government had a paper published last September outlining the security concerns with all of Australia’s major airports. The result of which is now a Security Auditor appointed by the government, with full rights of power, will now go to each airport and check on their security.
Should any concern be raised, the person/persons involved will be automatically sacked and the comapny controlling that airport fined! The concern is that bad that an investigation has found that most of the people in baggage handling has extencive criminal histories including one person who had completed an eight year scentance for trying to smuggle in drugs.
All of this is doing nothing to boost my confidence in air travel.
By: steve rowell - 1st June 2005 at 07:37
It is indeed a very worrying time, even flying interstate i’ll be shrink wrapping my bags
By: Ja Worsley - 1st June 2005 at 07:17
Crisis is an understatement, The government should never have sold off the Airports, regardless of how much they claim they made!
After the government gave up control, security was compramised and troubles started! Terrorists got jobs as Baggage handlers (Willy Bregiet), people were found wandering in restricted areas (numerous cases here- the last was only three months ago when an old man got lost and walked through the closest door) and now this inccident with the drug smuggeling racket. Oh and I forgot to mention the contract security guards who have allowed certain items to go through without proper checks.
Sydney Airport is so deep in trouble that it’s going to take a lot to get out of. IMHO the government should buy it back from the current owners (Macquarie Bank- who have a long history of security breaches, I know because I worked there as a security guard just as they were planing to implement their own security), and take control of the situation. ONLY the Government has the willingness and resources to impliment high level security measures that are required to keep the public safe and at ease.
By: KabirT - 1st June 2005 at 02:55
big indeed…so whenever we travel someone can but drugs into baggaes…scary thought.
By: Humberside - 31st May 2005 at 20:36
All this comes too late to save Shapelle Corby (27), who has been convicted of Drug Smuggeling in a denpasar court last Friday. Corby has received a 20 year sentence but proclaims here innocence. The Australian government had sent a letter to the court telling of the baggage handlers who may have tampered with her luggage and noted that one of the people fired had been working that day. But the letter didn’t hold enough weight to free Corby and many in Australia are now asking what was in the letter and why the government hadn’t done more to help her.
A backlash of this case is that now Australians have now declared that Bali is off their holiday list, Denpasar has pleaded to those in Australia not to make any harsh judgments based on what has happened, Australian’s making up over 30% of Bali’s anual income each year. Another back lash is in the fact that many Australian’s are now choosing not to fly out of Sydney. Sydney Airport lacks one crusial piece of security, Shrink Wrapping of luggage, something Melbourne and Brisbane do offer at a small cost.
Was on the news last week. Sounds like a big crisis
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May 31, 2005 at 8:08 pm