REGINA, Saskatchewan, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- More than 1,000 uniform items belonging to Canadian airport screeners were stolen in a nine-month period, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
About 25 percent of the uniforms had the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority logo on them and among the missing items were 91 metal shields that act as security badges, the CBC said Saturday.
In addition, some pilot's uniforms are also missing.
"If you have a uniform and you have the right credentials then you've got access to do anything you want in the airport," said terrorism expert Peter St. John, of the University of Manitoba. "You can almost board a plane at will and hijack it or anything. Security is just poor."
Some of the missing uniforms and items have appeared on the online auction site eBay, according to a parliamentary investigation.
CATSA said airport security is tight in Canada, and the missing uniforms are not major cause for concern.
"Uniforms alone don't provide access to restricted areas at airports," says Kevin McGarr, vice-president, strategy, at CATSA.
