Late the other night on a flight back into Alice, I was confronted upon landing (around 10pm), with a "Dirty Harry" type complete with big shiny badges, sidearm, handcuffs and spotlight (which the goose insisted on shining it straight at the a/c and in my eyes) as I shutdown in the GA area. After two failed attempts to ask him to either avert or turn his light off, he finally got the message when he walked over and met me at full hieght when I stood up from under the wing of the a/c.
Question time. I can understand some types of security measures being implemented for the protection of all inside the fence, but there are ways of doing it (especially not infront of the passengers who have as little idea as we do as to what is going on). And to be pointedly told to supply confidential information such as name, ARN, company and pax names etc is going waaaayyy tooooo far kids, it ain't none of your proverbial business!
In the morning I was loading a freight box with the boss into the trusty 'two ten', when ten seconds after the boss walks back behind the fence I hear this "OK, what's in the box, and what's yer name?". I turned around, and it's another version of the person from the night before, but with more armnament! My answer was perhaps best described as "none of your business, got any problem with that, then go talk to the boss", kinda answer. He then went away.
I know that another member of my company has almost had a set to with one of these goons, but there must be a better way of checks and ensuring security on the Alice a/d?
How about just contacting the companies around the airport and just plain asking them what their movements are likely to be over the next 24hrs? It would have to be better than harrassing tired pax and pilots when they least need it, wouldn't it? Then, if there is something that would appear out of the ordinary, they could then police it?
There has to be a better way. Has anyone else had the pleasure with them yet?
