"UK air security farce"

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Air security farce
Australia - The South Australia Advertiser


SECURITY at Heathrow airport is in the spotlight again after a drunk
strolled through and boarded a plane to Africa unchallenged.

The latest blunder comes after last year's disturbing security breaches at
Britain's busiest airport, exposed when passport control staff waved through
undercover reporters, even though they had swapped passports. Sometimes men
were allowed through with women's passports, and vice versa.

This time a drunken airport cleaner got on a plane and flew to Africa
without any checks. He had no passport, boarding pass or ticket when he
boarded the flight bound for Kenya. 

He settled down on the plane and made himself comfortable for a free ride to
Nairobi. 

It was the Kenyans rather than British officials who eventually twigged. But
only after the cleaner put his "luggage" - two cans of beer - through the
X-ray machine at Nairobi airport when he was trying to return to the UK
following a spot of sightseeing in the Kenyan capital. 

Staff at Heathrow, where security has supposedly been tightened since the
September 11 atrocities, had cheerily waved Adam Polkowski on his way after
he flashed them his cleaner's badge. 

Polish-born Mr Polkowski, 24, had been celebrating his birthday. He worked
in the first class lounge at Terminal 4, so was already beyond the initial
passport check. 

He was tempted to get on the plane when helping a passenger who was on her
way to Cameroon via Nairobi. Carrying her bag to the gate, he then bowled
past airline staff and walked straight on board the Kenya Airways plane. 

"Nobody asked me anything," he said. "I simply got onto the plane, sat down
and then fell asleep. I wasn't thinking much about what was happening. I was
drunk, tired and didn't really care." 

But on being woken for breakfast before touchdown in East Africa, reality
dawned. 

"I got really confused when I realised where I was. But I decided not to
worry and see what would happen next. 

"It surprised me that not only did I manage to leave the aircraft, but I
also got myself out of the airport. Whenever anyone asked me what I was
doing I said I worked for British Airways. It worked." 

Mr Polkowski travelled into Nairobi for some sightseeing before heading back
to the airport that same afternoon.

"I went to the first class waiting lounge." he said. "Everything's free
there so I was enjoying myself, drinking Kenyan beer and watching Miss World
on TV." 

When he put two cans of beer through the X-ray, Kenyan officials started to
quiz him. 

"They thought I was TV reporter pretending to be a cleaner as a test of
security. They only let me go when they got confirmation from my bosses that
they'd pay for my return ticket." 

He returned on a BA flight. Back at Heathrow, after flying 6800km in total,
he was arrested for deception and contravention of airport by-laws and
bailed to January 18.

Later he was sacked.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************