Security at AFL grounds

[Elvis]

With the recent events at the French soccer stadium with extremists willing to attempt to cause carnage against the sports loving public, are AFL football games especially vulnerable to attacks?

Sure, we get bag searches as we walk into the ground but hypothetically if I to strap a suicide bomb to myself, or smuggle a gun down my pants (this is a hypothetical ASIO, please don't put me on a watchlist!) do you think that a part time student on $15 an hour checking bags is enough a barrier to stop me?

Is it time that the AFL gets serious about this level of security? In the US, their procedures for sports events are mandated by their homeland security so going to a game of football for example means emptying up everything you are carrying to be scanned, as well as you being personally scanned as you enter the stadium. Is this the model that should be adopted here in Australia?

Sports are a pretty soft target and there's not much that can be done outside the stadium, but will it take an attack inside for something to change? Or are we comfortable that current procedures are strong enough?

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

They have metal detector people now. I got searched a few times this year. (A bit odd seeing as I am not your generic looking danger type)

 

[JUBJUB]

So ban Essendon fans who wear something that says Bombers on it ?

 

[pazza]

Pretty pissweak - and that's coming from an experienced security guard.

The only way to get it done properly is a costly exercise and that is to apply airport level/court level security with x-ray screening of bags and patrons alike.

Speaking from experience of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, where I got my start in the industry, that level of security was applied and it worked well.

The question for me then is - are we all prepared to put up with such security levels?

 

[Spongebob]

Years ago I was staying with a friend in Chicago and we went to a blues concert. Everyone going into the theatre was physically frisked down.

My friend found it comforting from a safety perspective. I found it very confronting.

 

[dogs105]

Years ago I was staying with a friend in Chicago and we went to a blues concert. Everyone going into the theatre was physically frisked down.

My friend found it comforting from a safety perspective. I found it very confronting.

Did it move?

 

[Andre]

It'd change the ability to rock up not long before games and get in quickly. I'd be willing to put up with it (provided stadiums put in priority queues in, so the higher your membership level the shorter the wait).

 

[dogs105]

It'd change the ability to rock up not long before games and get in quickly. I'd be willing to put up with it (provided stadiums put in priority queues in, so the higher your membership level the shorter the wait).

Some members are more equal than others at your club?

 

[LB#16]

So ban Essendon fans who wear something that says Bombers on it ?

I have a sports bag with "BOMBERS" on the end of it. Goes a treat at airports.

 

[Andre]

Some members are more equal than others at your club?

If I'm forking out more than general admission I expect something for it.

For Adelaide games the lines would crawl. Making all those pensioners have to go through metal detectors without their canes and Zimmer frames would slow everything to snails pace, as they try not to fall over (that or security guards will want massive Payrises for having to pay down all the oldies let through who set off the detectors).

 

[pazza]

If I'm forking out more than general admission I expect something for it.

For Adelaide games the lines would crawl. Making all those pensioners have to go through metal detectors without their canes and Zimmer frames would slow everything to snails pace, as they try not to fall over (that or security guards will want massive Payrises for having to pay down all the oldies let through who set off the detectors).

For airport level security, a letter from the person's practicing GP stating the reason why such equipment (right up into the use of steel to fuse broken bones), makes that access straight forward.

 

[JackOutback]

I prefer not to jump at shadows.

 

[Nutsngum]

We dont draw enough crowds for Terrorists to bother with.

Seriously though, resorting to extreme measures because of the "muslim terrorist boogeyman" isnt really the answer. The costs involved would be better spent on social programs to stop kids from being influenced by extremists in the first place.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

ever read the list of things that are more likely to kill you before terrorists? hint: stay away from bathtubs

 

[Heaps of fun]

Tbh I'm ready to die but you can **** off if you think I'm going to empty out my entire backpack.

 

[base615]

it's getting ridiculous quite frankly. I grew up in a place where I had to check under my car for bombs every morning and shut the curtains before turning the light on when going into a room at night in case there was a sniper outside. You just get on with it. If someone wants to do something like this bad enough then they're going to find a way do it no matter what you put in place to stop it and the measures people are proposing severely limit people's way of life.

We don't ban driving because a bunch of people die on the roads. We haven't even banned smoking FFS, both things kill way more people than terrorism ever will.

 

[ManWithNoName]

it's getting ridiculous quite frankly. I grew up in a place where I had to check under my car for bombs every morning and shut the curtains before turning the light on when going into a room at night in case there was a sniper outside. You just get on with it. If someone wants to do something like this bad enough then they're going to find a way do it no matter what you put in place to stop it and the measures people are proposing severely limit people's way of life.

We don't ban driving because a bunch of people die on the roads. We haven't even banned smoking FFS, both things kill way more people than terrorism ever will.

"I grew up with lots of security checks. It was fine. To do security checks now would be a joke"

What

 

[simba_]

doesn't need to happen, don't be a scaredy cat

 

[offtherails9]

We dont draw enough crowds for Terrorists to bother with.

Seriously though, resorting to extreme measures because of the "muslim terrorist boogeyman" isnt really the answer. The costs involved would be better spent on social programs to stop kids from being influenced by extremists in the first place.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/grand-final-terrorist-plot/2008/04/15/1208025189811.html

 

[base615]

"I grew up with lots of security checks. It was fine. To do security checks now would be a joke"

What

I'm saying I grew up in a dangerous place where my family were specifically a target but we never stopped what we were doing in normal life beyond a couple of minor precautions at home. Your chance of being targeted here is next to nil, especially if you're just a random dude on the street.

 

[LB#16]

We dont draw enough crowds for Terrorists to bother with.

Seriously though, resorting to extreme measures because of the "muslim terrorist boogeyman" isnt really the answer. The costs involved would be better spent on social programs to stop kids from being influenced by extremists in the first place.

There was a terror plot against the 2005 grand final. Was foiled 2 months prior to the game according to the media.

 

[Roddy]

It's not the lack of security that makes us vulnerable, it's our government's foreign policy, and that of other western governments, that does.

 

[Power Raid]

you can't stop terrorism with additional security

a simple drone with hand grenades into the crowd would kill hundreds through the grenades themselves and the stampede that follows. So no matter how many x-ray, frisking etc.......there is always another way

 

[Borderline]

Maybe at GWS games.

The security is shithouse at AFL games, would be seriously quite easy for any would be terrorist to do some damage. I've been to a few soccer games in Europe and it was much the same, but I got patted down for any weapons. No metal detectors or anything else though.

I guess we can just be thankful that in Australian culture we have a lot less shit products than other places

 

[XXRL]

Security at World Cup games in Brazil was pretty tight, metal detectors etc. It took a while to get into the stadium but you just had to factor it in and go early.

What really sucked was that they couldn't organise a bar service inside stadiums to save themselves - they'd take each person's order before pouring a beer. We do sort out the bar service pretty well here.