Counter Terror Gazette

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. Allegedly, although mired in much controversy and conspiracy, the most notorious attack perpetrated by an aviation employee with access to airside operations is that of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, convicted of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988.  He was the head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines (and an alleged Libyan intelligence agent) and was found guilty of placing the bomb in a suitcase at Malta’s Luqa Airport.  This, however, is a rare case involving state-sponsored terrorism against civil aviation, and involving a very senior airline official. Following 9/11, governments around the world pledged to make airports more secure.  The stringent security measures and advanced technologies implemented over the past decade are redundant if those we entrust with keeping our airports and airlines operational are able to slip through the net unchecked.  Therefore, the enhanced security implemented in many countries included measures to ensure all of those working in sensitive areas – mainly airside – at airports were thoroughly checked for criminal records and other risk-related activities.  After all, if the 9/11 hijackers were able to infiltrate flight training schools, the next round of terrorists would surely have airports and airlines in their sight for infiltration.   It is not just the terrorist threat that is a major issue when recruiting aviation staff to security sensitive positions; more common is the threat from gangs and networks involved in drug, arms and human trafficking, money laundering and theft amongst other illegal and violent activities.  MORE ONLINE