Dunno how much is actually done on ground staff but in ATC it's pretty damned strict.
Before working for my current employers I was employed by the UK "security services" shall we say with an above TOP SECRET security clearance level. On completing my security forms for NATS I still had to wait for many many weeks for my clearance (surely to a lower security level?) to come through - mainly due to my Irish background. Which I found both bizarre and quite comforting
I think the problem is that there is only so much information that can be discovered about a person in a standard "vetting" process, without reverting to Positive Vetting. In other words without actually interviewing your teachers, family, friends and following you around for a week or so without you knowing it - which is what "they" basically do should you ever require top security clearance levels.
I wonder how long it will be before this is introduced for a whole host of jobs - including our own.
Not sure about ground staff though. It is a very very expensive and lengthy process and the bean counters may not be happy with the numbers of people who would require it at this cost. You imagine all of the personnel at an airfield who may come into contact with an a/c or its pax and baggage.
In this case, just because he was "allegedly" a local Taliban supporter or informant or whatever, this is unlikely to have been reflected in his files unless he had lived over there or something and not been on the UK electoral role and he may not even have been "flagged" by the security services for special attention if he had kept his nose clean and his head down. It is not an offence after all is said and done - unfortunately perhaps. So a more positive or developed vetting process still may not have picked this "delightful" chap up.
I wouldn't be surprised if no checks were done anyhow.
I used to work at another airfield (NOT Manchester I stress!) on the ground handling side and was employed with absolutely no security vetting process being carried out whatsoever. I could have been Bin Liner himself! And the airfield in question had many many mnay flights to sensitive areas of which I had total and sometimes solitary, unguarded access to aircraft, freight and baggage 24 hours a day.
A bit worrying really
