Home Affairs Select Committee: Naked stupidity

Is anyone surprised at this report in the Evening Standard?

A Heathrow security guard faces the sack after a woman colleague reported him for using a body scanner to take “naked” pictures of her.

Airport bosses have launched an investigation after John Laker, 25, was alleged to have used the device meant to detect bombs and explosives to look at a fellow employee's breasts.

Jo Margetson, 29, reported the guard as saying “I love those gigantic tits” when she walked through the X-ray machine, and then said he pressed a button to take a revealing photo.

I suspect this will be the first of many such stories and that most of them will involve passengers rather than fellow airport employees.

And how do those charged with protecting our liberties react?

Today's Daily Telegraph covered the latest report from the Commons Home Affairs select committee:

The MPs dismissed privacy fears over the use of body scanners and called for newer and improved equipment to be considered.

The committee said it was disappointed that scanners had not been used on a widespread basis earlier.

In evidence to the committee, transport minister Paul Clark was asked about the delay and said: "It is about making a decision about the proportionality of the measures that you put in place to protect those concerned."

The committee said today: "The institution of 'proportionate' measures, as described by Paul Clark, strikes us as a euphemism for adopting a wholly reactive stance and waiting for terrorists to demonstrate their new capabilities before implementing improved security measures."

So the MPs who should be holding the government to account are busy calling on it to intrude further into our lives.