Idle minds and the devils workshop

The P.G.I. Airport seems to have a problem. No, not passengers numbers declining, which it has. No, not vendors revolting about the signage nazis, which they have. Instead, it is their night security guards.

These guys seems to run rampant at night. It becomes their own fiefdom. A land in which they can do all. A land brought forth from the combination of low pay, idle minds, and the arrogant belief that no matter what they do, no one in authority will do anything or care about it. The worse part is that it is happening not just in the unsecured areas outside, but in the supposedly secure areas inside the arrival and departure halls. This is supposed to be some of the most secure areas in the country. So much for that. Guess we better hope that the Uncle Sam's TSA is not monitoring this blog or we might not be able to go shopping in Miami!

So, anyway, the rent-a-cops steal money from the charity donation boxes by fishing the money out with a clothes hanger and gum or by just breaking the locks. When security cameras are positioned to monitor the boxes, the camera positions are moved by tinkerbell magic at night.

The "guards" run up phone bills on tennant's phones. One poor clerk almost lost her job when her boss accused her of running up a $3000 phone bill. It was later established that the calls to such far away places as Chicago, St. Kitts and Lagos, were made at 1 and 2 in the morning. Hardly the time of greatest legitimate activity in the arrivals lounge.

The "guards" steal modems, surf for porn on the internet, sleep on desks, drink from water coolers that are not theirs, deface bathrooms, even leave their eaten $5 greasy chicken bags for the rats to nibble on. We won't even get into the traveller's bags from secure areas that go missing. 

Why won't the B.A.A. do anything about the problem even with many, many verifiable complaints from vendors and users? Laziness and apathy, indifference and just plain ole striving for lower standards.

Some time ago I wrote about the Guiliani way of eradicating crime. This is clearly an example of one of the starting point possibilities he spoke of. If an area behind metal detectors, security cameras, armed guards and dogs, and with international standards to be held up to for the sake of the national economy cannot be made crime free, then where else can be? 

Is the same problem in the rest of the country. We just don't care and allow it to happen. Get me Sgt. Tablada!