a) 60% of air freight leaving or entering the UK goes on passenger flights, b) it's <b>solely</b> up to the country of departure as to whether they want to security checks on said freight, c) we (UK) have the tightest checks in the world on (outgoing) air freight, but that still manages to only covers a 'representative sample' of items, and is a fraction as through as those done on ALL passenger luggage*. d) an organisation representing international air freight movers whose name I forget called the system of security checks 'a pathetic mess',
it makes all this stage-show with passenger checks seem terribly like "we have always been at war with Eurasia".
I sometimes wonder if this 'terrorism target - weak point treadmill' (like euphamism treadmill) will continue to be played out till advantage is taken of the fact ISO containers are very rarely checked before entering the country, our lorries regularly haul ISOs into city centres, and they can currently carry up to 29 tons (may be getting increased) [1]. Which in terms of modern chemical explosives equates to ~46tons equiv of TNT.
* yet they check 8 out of 10 parcels for tax levying
no subject
a) 60% of air freight leaving or entering the UK goes on passenger flights,
b) it's <b>solely</b> up to the country of departure as to whether they want to security checks on said freight,
c) we (UK) have the tightest checks in the world on (outgoing) air freight, but that still manages to only covers a 'representative sample' of items, and is a fraction as through as those done on ALL passenger luggage*.
d) an organisation representing international air freight movers whose name I forget called the system of security checks 'a pathetic mess',
it makes all this stage-show with passenger checks seem terribly like "we have always been at war with Eurasia".
I sometimes wonder if this 'terrorism target - weak point treadmill' (like euphamism treadmill) will continue to be played out till advantage is taken of the fact ISO containers are very rarely checked before entering the country, our lorries regularly haul ISOs into city centres, and they can currently carry up to 29 tons (may be getting increased) [1]. Which in terms of modern chemical explosives equates to ~46tons equiv of TNT.
* yet they check 8 out of 10 parcels for tax levying