Birmingham security staff suspended being caught on camera sleeping

Airport security staff have been suspended after being caught on camera sleeping and reading magazines while supposedly checking for terrorists.
Deep flaws in the system at Birmingham International Airport were uncovered by a whistleblower. Now there are demands for transatlantic flights from the airport to be grounded until it is improved.
A six-month undercover investigation into the work done by staff of the ICTS airport security firm will be screened tomorrow night on ITV1’s Tonight With Trevor McDonald.
One worker spent two hours covering the duties of 17, women travellers were not searched because no female employee was present – and staff were sleeping, doing puzzles or reading, instead of watching screens.
The programme will also allege that planes were left unguarded by ICTS staff and aircraft cabins were not searched properly.
Whistleblower Colin Cross worked for ICTS at the airport for 10 years before resigning.
He tells Tonight: “My main fear is that sooner or later either a terrorist will get on board the flight or somebody will infiltrate an improvised explosive device.
ICTS has a contract to supply 17 staff to protect the daily Air India flights to Toronto and Delhi from Birmingham Airport.
This investigation shows that ICTS rarely supplies anywhere near 17 staff: the investigators record an incident when only one employee works alone on the flight for two hours, while passengers check in.
Hidden cameras capture a supervisor reacting to the incident. He says: “There is no security, is there?”
Speaking to the lone security agent, Colin Cross says: “How are you going to manage?” Agent: “I don’t know. I was thinking of like putting my shorts on – check ‘em in, run through the back – make sure the bags are all right, run back out of there and do a little Ali shuffle in between.”
Air India told Tonight it conducted its own check in April, because ICTS’s work was not up to standard.The company’s performance was being monitored and the airline had put in its own security manager.
ICTS recently won a contract to guard the whole perimeter of the airport,but in April, before the findings of Tonight’s investigation were made known, it lost the contract for X-raying suspect bags at Birmingham Airport Terminal One.
03/06/07 James Murray/UK Express, UK

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Categories: Air India Jun 2007, Foreign Jun 2007, Safety Jun 2007