Security - Articles and news items
Issue 3 2010 / 9 June 2010 / Lee Kair, Assistant Administrator for Security Operations, TSA
On December 25, 2009, Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian citizen, allegedly attempted to detonate an improvised explosive device he smuggled on board Northwest Flight 253. The events of Christmas Day serve as a powerful reminder of the extremes to which terrorists will go to circumvent the enhanced security measures put in place since September 11, 2001. It also highlights that our adversary is adaptive and will engineer around static defenses. To stay ahead of this evolving threat landscape, TSA employs a layered approach to securing the Nation’s transportation systems. While our security checkpoints in airports are the most readily recognisable, we have many other critical layers of security in place to mitigate threats, including intelligence analysis, behaviour detection officers, canine teams, as well as other layers that may be visible and invisible to the public. Each layer alone is capable of stopping a terrorist attack but, in combination, their security value is multiplied, creating a strong, formidable system. A terrorist who has to overcome multiple security layers in order to carry out an attack is more likely to be pre-empted, deterred, or thwarted during – or even before – the attempt. (more…)
Airport news / 14 April 2010 / A|D|S
Hugo Rosemont, security policy adviser for A|D|S, the UK’s AeroSpace, Defence and Security trade organisation today addresses the Counter Terror Expo at London Olympia examining how the current state of the economy affects national security. The speech will propose potential solutions given the current economic climate and will also highlight that more could be done to harness the economic benefits of British-made security equipment exports. It will highlight that future efficiency savings or spending cuts could impact negatively on the UK’s national security capability.
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Airport news / 9 April 2010 / A|D|S
A|D|S, the UK’s AeroSpace, Defence and Security trade organisation today published a manifesto for the security industry in the run-up to the forthcoming General Election.
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Issue 2 2010 / 5 April 2010 / Brodie Clark, Head of the UK Border Force
The UK has one of the toughest borders in the world and we are determined to ensure it stays that way.
Using technology, the UK Border Agency is transforming the way in which the UK border is protected, tackling smuggling, illegal immigration and associated organised crime, as well as helping identify other threats to the UK whilst facilitating legitimate travel and trade.
In transforming our border, we’re integrating the work of the legacy immigration and customs services into a new joined-up method of managing the border. We are taking advantage of improvements in technology both to increase the level of data and intelligence support to frontline operations and to effectively manage the passage of increasing passenger numbers through automated systems, whilst maintaining strong border controls.
Bringing together the combined abilities and skills from immigration and customs makes a lot of sense as we modernise our border controls to meet new challenges and increased demands. We are increasingly a border guard as opposed to a regulatory service. (more…)
Airport news / 24 March 2010 / International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced an industry strategy for profitable growth in Latin American aviation. “Profitable growth requires that all aviation stakeholders in Latin America—airlines, airports and infrastructure providers— work with a common vision to achieve our priorities: safety, security, cost reduction, environmental responsibility and liberalization,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO in the opening address of the Wings of Change conference in Santiago, Chile.
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Airport news / 23 March 2010 / Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority
Underscoring its commitment to passenger safety and security, Nashville International Airport received perfect marks during the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) annual air carrier airport certification inspection. (more…)
Airport news / 10 November 2009 / L-3 Security & Detection Systems
L-3 Security & Detection Systems announced today that its eXaminer® 3DX explosives detection systems (EDS) has been ordered by 10 airports in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In addition, its eXaminer® SX has been ordered by two airports for their reduced size EDS needs. (more…)
Issue 5 2009, Past issues / 29 September 2009 / Chris Pinder, Regional General Manager, British Security Industry Association
Recent publicity over the release from custody of the convicted Lockerbie bomber has provided a potent reminder of the continuing importance of airline baggage and freight security. Chris Pinder, British Security Industry Association’s Regional General Manager, looks at some of the current procedures and developments in this vital area.
The security of items carried aboard commercial aircraft combines technology and procedures for inspection and screening in the four categories of hand baggage, luggage checked into the hold, travellers themselves and cargo. The most visible of these measures is, of course, the security checks conducted on all passengers and their hand baggage before they are allowed to board an aircraft. All hand baggage, including items such as coats, handbags, laptop computers, mobile phones and cameras, undergoes x-ray examination before passengers are allowed to enter the departure lounge. In addition, travellers pass through metal detectors or backscatter X-Ray whole body scanners and may be subject to physical search. (more…)
Issue 4 2009, Past issues / 16 July 2009 / Jerome M. Pender, Deputy Assistant Director, Operations Branch for the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division
The aviation term “desired path” refers to setting a course and then following clear guidance to reach a specific objective. This simple term seemed fitting for an article about how the FBI’s work in biometrics could also bolster aviation security. Semantics aside, whether you carry a badge, pin a pair of wings to your uniform, or work in the multi-faceted world of aviation, we all share a desired path to protect the flying public when they are in our charge. However, reaching this goal requires each of us to follow a different course.
For the FBI, this course includes applying a variety of biometric technologies from our investigative tool kit. Our journey began with fingerprint identification, then DNA was added, and now other modalities are being explored within the context of privacy laws, policies, and procedures. To ensure a coordinated and strategic approach to the opportunities and challenges that biometrics represent, the FBI established the Biometric Center of Excellence (BCOE) in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The BCOE serves as the focal point for the FBI’s biometric efforts. (more…)
Issue 4 2009, Past issues / 16 July 2009 / John Bates, Chief Executive, British Security Industry Association (BSIA)
Advances in technology and increasing risks are driving an unprecedented level of change in security and nowhere more so than in the application of closed-circuit television surveillance systems in the airport environment. John Bates, Chief Executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), looks at the evolution of the security camera and what it means for the safety of air travel.
Although the security camera now seems so commonplace that it is sometimes hard to remember life without it, the familiar sight of CCTV watching over airports and other public places only began on a significant scale in the late 1980s. Although a handful of successful pilot schemes received widespread publicity, its early growth was restrained by a combination of cost and technical limitations, which the security industry worked hard to overcome with a steady stream of improvements.
The original tube-based monochrome security cameras fell to the more reliable, compact, and relatively maintenance free solid-state colour systems. Then users who had been deterred by the prospect of digging up busy airports and freight terminals to install cable, found they could transmit video images through the air using microwave links between cameras and monitoring centres. Image transmission too, underwent a significant advance for the time with the arrival of fibre optic cable. (more…)
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