The Illusion of Security
The Under-the-Car Checker Guy at Safeway is doing such a great job, isn’t he? He made sure that there wasn’t a bomb under my front, right tire this morning. And the Metal Detector Guy just let me waltz through the front door without checking me. I guess I don’t fit the profile of the typical terrorist.
Why do we even bother? These measures that are designed to ensure safety and security are a farce! Anyone with half a brain could just as easily stuff explosives under their car seat, park next to the store exit and blow half of the cash registers in Safeway to kingdom come. Or if you were packing a gun (or two), the grocery exit is wide open and unguarded. Or just take the upstairs entrance, which is wide open, as well. (I suppose they don’t expect anyone to terrorize the retail items upstairs…just the grocery items downstairs.)
And what about Mecca Mall? So they check your car trunk as you enter the parking garage…whoop-de-do! There are plenty of other places to hide explosives in a car. And many of the parking garage entrances are wide open and unchecked. But beware when entering from the food court, the basement level or the back side; if you’re packing, you might get caught.
I can understand the need for heightened security after the November 2005 attacks, but to continue with half-assed “security” measures isn’t secure at all. So why all the smoke and mirrors?
Awartany December 4th, 2007 10:05 am
I think they are forced by laws to implement such measures, it’s not they are really keeping security. In the other hand, in my opinion, a terrorist will suppose that they can catch him/her, they won’t risk finding a gap to get through; they will be frightened of such procedures even the weak ones.
Sandra December 4th, 2007 10:17 am
Just once I would like to even be stopped entering a parking garage. Every time I go to Carrefour, the security guys just wave me straight through. Blonde foreign woman in a big-ass 4WD can’t possibly be a terrorist. Yeah right.
Qwaider قويدر December 4th, 2007 10:19 am
Our frienemies across the river learned the same conclusion that you have Dave, this kind of security doesn’t do diddlysquat for the most determined!
I mean, you have a person who’s ready and willing to kill himself for what he believe in. You think a beer belly 80 year old security guard with no security training will stop him!?
bambam December 4th, 2007 10:54 am
illusion of security as deterrent is a laughable idea, essentially it all falls down to people recognizing that their security is under threat or not.
The places you mentioned, surprisingly the malls, don’t consider themselves as targets and hence there is no oversight on following a strict regulation to ensure security.
while on the other hand you would notice hotels, who consider themselves as targets and more so the ones that have been hit, follow stricter methods to ensure security albeit they might be lacking.
it all falls down to how compromised they think they are and honestly it turns into a farce when they don’t see themselves at risk
Um Omar December 4th, 2007 3:35 pm
I thought the very same thing this AM at Safeway. I figured he thought the right side of my car couldn’t pose a threat–just the left side.
hatem abunimeh December 4th, 2007 3:51 pm
It is a perceptual public relation stunt aimed at giving the patrons a fase sense of security.
Firas December 4th, 2007 5:11 pm
It’s really there just to make the people feel: Safe, which is actually doing the opposite! And since we are not into details, Jor will say, oh they got security, this place is safe, lets go there. Besided it’s a happy time for security firms, and who does own most of these? Shall I put names people?
Look, no need to hide it anywhere, just run pass through the main entrance and under the metal detector, even if the gurads caught you, you’ll still get in,just keep running. Guards don’t have guns and are usually busy with other people, heck just push them to the ground, they are too old.
Last week I got into Mecca Mall with two suitcases, the guy was like: Whoa what you got in there? I told him my overused joke: Nothing to worry about, just some bombs,guns and knives. They let me through without checking,and even without going under the metal detector….
Bilal - Black jack December 4th, 2007 7:23 pm
Here in the US they do the same thing. its stupid. Before entering a 5 star casino or a resort, they ask you to pull over and open the trunk. and then they let u in easily!
duuuuh, the trunk is not the only place I can hide explosives!
there is a new machine rolled out to some airports in the US (Arizona is one of them), that once u pass through, ur body is displayed on a screen in 3D, ofcourse showing the ‘contours’ of your body!
would u be embareesed to know that people could actually see the size of ur penis or ammm…breasts?
my point is: some security measures at malls, airports or the like are just plain stupid.
Hal December 5th, 2007 9:23 am
The security at Zara Center, when you head into their underground parking lot, infuriates me the most. Seriously, I start shaking in the car and muttering to myself. First, they ask you to pop the trunk. Or they might not. It all depends on how lazy the dude hanging out by the entrance is today. Then, you drive down into the parking lot, and have to stop by a rickety table where a man and a woman are seated, hanging out. The nonchalantly get up and stroll to the car. They make you get out. They pat you down. They take a peek inside. If you have shopping bags, they peek inside that too. Not in a “I have to search you and get on with my job” kind of way. More like in a “So, what do we have here, what did you buy today?” kind of way. And they end up creating the most God-awful traffic jam, with all the cars wanting to get into the parking lot backed up and waiting for them to MOVE THEIR ASSES, because during peak movie hours, everyone arrives more or less around the same time, and then I start fantasizing about DRIVING OVER THOSE LOSERS WITH MY CAR, which was never searched properly in the first place, but all I do is mutter to myself, get back into the car, slam the door, and go find a parking space. I do, however, always pray for bodily harm to descend on them, because I’m really mean that way and I DONT CARE if they were told to do this by a bigger asshole. They are all still assholes.
Sorry, I have issues, at least I got this out of my system.
Hani Obaid December 11th, 2007 1:22 am
I moved to Amman several years back before the bombings. After they happened, I was reminded of what life was like in Israel. Where they always check your bags at the mall, movie theatre, and don’t even think about leaving your bag unattended in the bus.
Sri Lanka put it best: There’s no point placing additional security, if one day they bomb a train and we place a security guard on every train compartment, next time it will be a bus, if we guard the buses, next time it will be a plane, if we put more security in the airports, next time it will be a sports event !
The most obvious measure of how useless these measures are is how many people they caught in the past 2 years. They only serve to line the pockets of the security organizations.
About the mall security, Jad wrote about this recently, City Mall security has a much better idea how to treat their customer’s than Mecca mall.