Wednesday 30 March 2011

National Security - What Security?


The Royal Mail lost the contract to deliver parcels and packages a few years ago now. Privatisation would benefit all of us we were told.  Sending parcels would be much cheaper.  Since then a few global companies have taken over much of the international delivery services; that being the American owned UPS.

UPS has its own air freight service, whereas many smaller companies use civilian aircraft facilities to transport their packages outside the UK. Recently, in the US,  UPS has been allowed to alter its pricing without sticking to its annual cap on rate.

So UPS is a big player in delivering parcels from one country to another.

But Turkey had a problem recently and its decided to publicise it.  Well done Turkey.
A package, which was taken, by a Turkish man - how did they know because I've never had to produce my passport when sending a parcel abroad - to an UPS office in north London destined for Turkey.  The parcel was described as a 'wedding cake' and was loaded on an UPS parcel and freight carrier.  The 'bomb' reportedly contained a detonator, timer and wiring, but no main explosive.

The Turks, who profess to scan each and every item which enters their country, found it to be a hoax bomb contained in a wedding cake box.  They're not happy because, since the very recent incident, it has come to light that UPS UK do not scan every package but 'make random checks'.

Since December UPS in the US have intensified security by requiring all customers not holding one of their pre-printed shipping labels and wishing to send packages, must show a government issued photo identification.  No other country is required to do so.

I'm not a lover of flying - it's a necessity rather than enjoyment.  UPS have their own freight services but other postal businesses use freight services which involve the transportation of the public.

None of our governments in recent years has had any idea about national security.  Money is god and the safety of the people come well down the list.  We have a military which swears an oath to protect these islands, and I know will do so without complaint or expecting praise, yet we have politicians who are happy to allow parcels to come and go with little or no inspection.

Is it any wonder terrorists think Britain is the safest place to be?

4 comments:

Joe Public said...

At least Birmingham Airport has your safety at heart.

Look at the luggage scan photo used in their 2007-2008 Report and Accounts.

subrosa said...

At least it was scanned Joe. The above is a shocking discovery because if parcels are not scanned when sent out of the country, there's little chance they're scanned on entry.

strapworld said...

Well said Subrosa, I remember seeing a programme following the bombs found on cargo planes, some months ago, they explained that it would be disastrous to their timetables to scan every parcel and container.

But today's news that a security guard has been arrested at the London olympic Stadium (Just finished yesterday)in possession of semtex is such a worrying pointer to trouble ahead.

When governments, particularly the Labour one has allowed a massive influx of aliens who have no respect for our way of life we face years of major problems.

I think I shall have to move the strapworld clan up to bonny Scotland.

subrosa said...

I hadn't heard about the Stadium guard strapworld. Worrying indeed and you're not the first person from the area to voice security concerns.

You could do worse than move up here believe me. Sometimes I think we're cocooned from such problems, but we mustn't lull ourselves into a false sense of security.

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