Is it proper for a convicted ex-policeman to hold an airside pass to work at a UK International Airport.?

I see your point but don't agree with it myself.

Yes I agree that theft is wrong, there's no doubt about that but would you think differently if this person wasn't an ex-Policeman?

At the end of the day, he's only human and can make a silly mistake like anyone else.

He would have to have declared this previous conviction when he applied for the job and it would have come up in his vetting checks if he didn't. I used to work in security and was vetted several times for different levels of authorisation for different departments and I knew people who were fired for not declaring things that were turned up in their vetting checks.

Theft is a dishonesty offence, it doesn't necessarily make him a danger to the public.

All felonies are not the same. If he were convicted of a violent crime, he most likely would not have a job at the airport. Maybe he was convicted of speeding too fast on the freeway. In some places if you're going more than 30 mph over the speed limit, that's an automatic ticket to jail.

Maybe he was convicted of hurting someone in a car accident because he wasn't paying attention. Maybe he was convicted of car theft because he got into a tiff with his girlfriend and drove off in her car to cool off, and just to be spiteful, she had him charged with theft. Stranger things have happened.

Maybe he was convicted of beating the snot out of a really bad guy. While police are NOT supposed to do that, could you really blame a person, cop or no, for beating the crap out of a child molester or rapist? Hard to say no to that one.

Maybe he was convicted of clearing out his wife's bank account because he found out she was cheating on him.

Maybe he was convicted of smoking weed.

In short, there are a lot of different types of felonies, and generally speaking, violent felonies are what stick with you forever. A lot of the lighter felonies, like Class C felonies or below (D, E) only affect your for so many years. If this is the case, and it sounds like it is, he is NOT a danger to society, and you can't withhold a job from someone because something they did 20 years ago.

If the authorities don't have a problem giving him a job, then you shouldn't have a problem with him having a job.

He has the same rights as anyone else under The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and obviously the type of offence could be irrelevant to his job he may have been convicted of smacking a paedophile for all we know.

It depends what the conviction was for. The security at Exeter airport is a joke so why should anywhere else be any different

He obviously paid his debt to society---I believe that is what a conviction and being an ex-con is really all about. It is so very true though, that there are those that instead of assisting these people to become a honest members of society, they wish to continue to kick them more. Vindictive people everywheres, and I would not want to become one of those. I would assist the man in staying on the straight and narrow path.

Did he say what his conviction was for?If it is classed as spent it could not have been anything serious!Another point!He should have declared it on his employment application form!

Yes, the conviction is spent. I am guessing it wasn't for terrorist or theft offences.

I believe his Employers would have known all about that and would have considered the past in his life.

I guess it depends on what his conviction was for!

no problem, i had an airside pass, criminal record wasn't a problem, all depends on what it was for, i suppose !