Inappropriate comment made at airport screening

[Caliope]

Several weeks ago my husband,daughter and her best friend both aged 17 and I were on our way to Coolangatta for a weeks holiday. We checked in then made our way to the airport screening point ( I have since been informed Chubb security have the contract for Jetstar). My husband was behind taking the laptop out and putting it in the tray as my daughter,her friend and I walked through. Before walking through I asked the security man if I ahould remove the heavily jewelled belt off my shorts to which he replied " if you like but I would rather you take your shorts off hey mate (this said to the security man next to him) and he was grinning as he said it. I looked at my daughter who was so blushing all types of red and she took me aside begging me not to make a scene as then my husband would hear and if he got involved well, we probably would not have got on the plane!

My husband joined us and he knew something had happend but I just told him it was ok and we continued on to catch our flight and I told him later when we were at our hotel what occured.He agreed it was lucky he had not heard it at the time.

When we returned home I contacted Chubb and made a complaint and am still waiting for a response,this is NGE.

I am not a prude and can take a joke but this was totally inappropriate and could have been a nasty outcome and the least I am owed is an apology.

[dusty_rusty_2000]

I'm just wondering what age group these guys were?

[CDMS]

It used to be a policy of Chubb some years ago that uniformed PO's, Guards etc that the minimum age was 25.

[CDMS]

I should clarify that by saying direct employees in Qld. Employees of Franchisees/Licencees were, I believe, not necessarily subject to the same restrictions.

[Caliope]

The comment was made by a guard in his late 50's IMO and the comment made to the other guard was around 30ish. I might add that the younger guard looked almost as embarrassed as I was.

[Caliope]

Just wondering Dusty, what does the age matter? Is it that you might expect a comment like that from a younger guard? Personally I don't care how old they were, it was totally inappropriate given their role and that people can be required to take off belts and other items in front of them.

[dusty_rusty_2000]

Sorry Caliope, it probably seemed like a rather irrelevant question and I should have re-iterated further.

The reason I asked was that my 14 year old daughter had a similar experience at Melbourne Airport during the school holidays (Jetstar flight too). For some unknown reason, the alarm was activated when she passed through the security area. The guard on duty, a dirty old b@stard in his late 50's, stared directly at her breasts and said it's probably your under-wire bra so you'll have to take it off, meanwhile snickering and winking at his off-sider. I overheard the tail end of the conversation and pushed past several people in front of me to confront guy. I asked him what it was he would like her to remove at which he replied: this is a private conversation between this young woman and myself. I told him this young woman is only 14 years old and I am her mother. He turned a bright colour of red and apologised to my daughter. I demanded a supervisor be called immediately and also a female security member.

To this day we still don't know what set off the alarm. It could have been my daughter's braces, or perhaps her belt which had steel studs, maybe the belt buckle or even the bra. It was most probably a malfunction or perhaps the alarm goes off randomly after a certain number of people have passed through.

I wonder if it's the same guard?

[CDMS]

Just to add to that dusty, back in the dim dark ages (early 1980's) when they used a wand, (it was called a Reiwasa, not sure if that's the correct spelling), the alarm on the cabinet could be deliberately activated by the person holding it & standing reasonably close to the cabinet. In those days we did physical bag searches (no x-ray machine) & if we had a disgruntled passenger who gave us a hard time we used it to effect by moving them to one side & conducting various checks, thus wasting their time & causing them a certain amount of grief. So I'm only guessing it was possibly a deliberate activation on the part of the security officer just to be a smart***e & for entertainment purposes.

[Caliope]

Dusty this guard had white hair and was about 5ft7 ish medium build. I thought it was bad enough making comments like that in front of my daughter but if he had said it TO my daughter I think I would have decked him! Does he sound like the same guy? Did you make a complaint?

[deang]

If it is absolutely unimportant get Chubb to guard it, they are quite possibly the most useless and incompetent firm about. Cheap and nasty.

[Caliope]

Seems Chubb think situations like this are unimportant with their lack of response to both my initial complaint and here which just makes me angrier.

[Thing]

Seems to be a ploy of companies these days Caliope! Ignore the complaint for as long as possible, hopefully the complainant will give up, if not - well drag it out for as long as possible etc etc etc

[RedVicar]

I travel a fair bit for work, but only VB - I was quite sure they weren't Chubb on that side of the airport (in Melb), more like an acronym (IPS or a short word like that?). White shirts with black eppilettes?

I might be thinking of Syd or Adl however - not sure. Anyone confirm?

Cheers

RV

[Thing]

Different airports use different security - Brisbania uses Group 4

Then again I haven't been to domestic for quite a few years - might have changed..

[Caliope]

I initially rang Melbourne airport who informed me it was Chubb who have the contract for interstate travel.