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Record attendance at Counter Terror Expo reflects threat from terrorism remains high

22 Dec 2010

London, 21 April 2010 – in excess of 6900 visitors passed through Olympia’s National Hall doors for Counter Terror Expo 2010 last week, succinctly demonstrating that the threat from terrorism remains acute and demand for solutions to the issues we face continues to be high. Held against a backdrop of a world beating high level [...]

Aeroflot’s Canine Corps: jackal-dogs sniffing out explosives

22 Dec 2010

The use of dogs in the detection of narcotics and explosives is nothing new. Canine units are part and parcel of many a law enforcement agency’s arsenal and dogs olfactory sensitivities well known. Despite this, whilst Customs, Quarantine and Bio-security agencies routinely deploy them at border crossings, including airports, to sniff out illicit imports, there has been a reluctance to utilise them in pre-flight security screening. Philip Baum visited Moscow to see how one airline has invested in its own canine unit. Not only has Aeroflot embraced them as part of the counter-terrorist solution, the Russian carrier has gone a step further and is actively breeding its own dogs to ensure that their four-legged agents are the best in the pack.

We Wish You A Merry Checkpoint: and secure cargo new year

22 Dec 2010

The media is awash with tales of passenger woe at security checkpoints. We’ve had a mother who had expressed breast milk for her baby detained, a cancer patient being covered in urine when a screener displaced his urostomy bag, a wheelchair passenger sitting in her underwear and many an upset crewmember feeling that the invasive security procedures are overkill. In the United States, the pat-down debate is alive and kicking with passengers claiming to have been groped, molested or abused by over-zealous agents. Many of the stories are, quite simply, ridiculous and demonstrate that aviation security checkpoints are a little like Santa Claus…something we love to believe in but which we know is a myth. By Philip Baum

Integrated Security Screening Solutions: joining the dots

22 Dec 2010

Since the destruction of Pan Am 103, aside from the latest cargo bomb plot, virtually every terrorist attack has been executed via the passenger-screening checkpoint. It seems that the knee-jerk reaction to plug the latest exposed gap is to add another new technology or process to the existing mix of systems. We remove our shoes, dig out our laptops and decant liquids into tiny bottles. “New” systems are pushed into the field, creating confusion for passengers and operators alike. What never seems to be addressed is the fact that the underlying security strategy needs an upgrade. Steve Wolff assesses how the screening process can be enhanced through the analysis of data and the integration of technologies and processes.

Known Shippers: how much do we really know about our cargo?

22 Dec 2010

Cargo security has traditionally been more about the bureaucratic process than actual physical inspection. Ensuring a valid paper trail is vital to safeguarding aviation and ensuring that air cargo can travel from A to B in as short a time as possible, but we also need to have an in-built mechanism to guarantee that air cargo security doesn’t just become a tick box exercise. With the recent discovery of two improvised explosive devices found on cargo planes, Norman E.L. Shanks and Viki Johnston review the global approaches to validating the integrity of cargo consignments.

Employee Background Checks: an ID pass to the sterile zone

22 Dec 2010

With criminal gangs operating airside at many of the world’s larger airports, developing a system of evaluating who we should issue airport ID to is a major challenge. It’s not only the initial issuance of the pass, but also the continued surveillance of those we employ. How can we address the issue, without impinging upon personal privacy, and ensure that those operating airside are honest law-abiding citizens? Anna Costin reports.

Mental Health and Aviation Security: identifying and managing passenger medical disorders

22 Dec 2010

There has been so much focus on the terrorist that we often overlook the very serious threat that a passenger suffering from a mental health issue can pose to commercial aviation. What medical issues might we identify at the airport and how can we best ensure that we enable such passengers to fly whilst safeguarding the industry? Malcolm F. Cheshire investigates.