Sponsors likely to receive priority treatment, writes Leonard Neill
INCENTIVE SCHEMES for policemen involved in safety and security programmes at Johannesburg International AirportÕs passenger sectors have met with strong disapproval from the airportÕs cargo sector.
The Tourism Business Council of SA (TBC) and Business Against Crime (BAC) in Gauteng have announced that top cops are in line to receive holiday rewards. Top achievers will benefit from holidays which will incorporate visits to overseas airports, allowing them to return with the advantage of having experienced at first hand international safety practices.
In the programme, a documented management system is currently being put into place at JIA with input from airports in London, Sydney and New York. Security staff and police will then be coached on the accepted handling of criminals.
But the situation has not been well received at the cargo centre and among other operators involved with cargo affairs at the airport.
ÒItÕs a policemanÕs duty to do his job without having incentives bandied around him,Ó said one cargo handler, who was among a number who spoke to Airfreight Express but declined to have their identities revealed.
ÒThese kind of incentives can create problems. If they are sponsored by any ground handler or any airline, that organisation will be given priority attention, make no mistake about it. The others will suffer. And we will feel the blast down here in the cargo sector, where the questions will undoubtedly be asked - Ôwhat about us?Õ
ÒItÕs definitely something the airport authorities are going to have to think about very seriously.Ó
Another leading cargo sector personality drew attention to the scheme which the cargo industry proposed two years ago regarding uniforms for reservists stationed at the airport, and which met with a rebuff from police headquarters in Pretoria.
ÒIt was when there were few enough uniformed policemen available and SAPS decided to deliver reservists to us to help. None had uniforms and a number of operators here got together and offered to foot the bill for uniforms. But police headquarters gave us a positive thumbs down, telling us we were not to get involved with their operations. They made it clear that any such sponsorship of uniforms would favour the sponsoring companies against others not involved in the scheme.
ÒIf that is the case, how on earth does this incentive scheme work with police approval?Ó
