Introduction
Research studies have shown that current security measures implemented in airports globally produce soft targets through lengthy queues. The soft targets increase the risks of terrorist attacks within the airport premises. The attacks could increase the chances of destroying commercial flight. It is essential to come up with the most reliable security system set up plan in order to increase airports safety. The paper will give a devised plan for setting up a state-of-the-art airport security system.
Discussion
Security is extremely vital in all aspects of airport operation systems. Hence, security is integrated into the architectural fabric of airport operations. The aim of an efficient security system is to protect employees, passengers, infrastructure and information within the airport settings. The passenger processing system of the airport should enhance security through several ways. Some of the ways include allowing airlines to share some passenger and baggage information in real time and on high speed to several users within a network.
The airport has to be designed in a way that it provides security measures that will guard against biological, explosive and chemical threats in a reliable and more efficient manner. The security force should consist of internally trained private security agents. Advertisement for the various security force will be published then the most qualifies candidates will be short listed for interviewing. Successful candidates have to have skills and be specialized in passenger profiling and intelligence gathering. There will be thorough training of the potential security agents to ensure that they master the relevant skills that will enable them perform their duties effectively and reliably. The candidates should have high qualifications from well-know aviation training institutes. They will be employed by the airport company as security agents. Others will be situated in entry gates area, general cargo hold division, baggage screening rooms, lounge areas and overall ramp supervision areas. All security personnel will be adequately trained so that they are capable of doing different tasks (Rome, 2010).
The appropriate design to maximize security management efficiency and passenger flow while minimizing delay and discomfort is assigning groups to passengers based on an initial screening. This method of assigning groups is known as the systematic assignment method. This design will focus on a defense-in-depth and dynamic strategy instead of a static defense strategy. The design has a feature of unpredictability which is beneficial since it will prevent terrorists from attempting to attack the security system. This security system design will check or prevent threats such as false documents, threats in carry-on-luggage and threats on passengers.
The design presented above is a method of passenger screening that has a specific number of compulsory checkpoints that check for a similar type of threats. Grouping is affected by the National Threat Level. The number of people is not determined using any type of equation. Instead, the screening process is dictated by the results of an initial compulsory checkpoint. A passenger shown to have a suspicious item on his baggage is directed to a special checkpoint for further screening. On the other hand, a passenger with no suspicious items is sent to a checkpoint and checked according to the results obtained from a random variable draw.
A passenger should go through several security checks from the time that he or she arrives at the airport to the time of boarding the airplane. Passengers from incoming flights have to be screened adequately prior to their departure from the originating airport and they should not pose any security threats upon arriving at the destination airport. The external system should consist of the passengers system, maintenance system, transportation security and administration system, equipment suppliers and security support system. Passengers should be defined as all individuals who go to the airport with the sole purpose of traveling or using any other types of services provided in the airport. The passengers should be subject of security measures implemented at the airport. Emergency support system is defined as the external systems that provide help in case of terrorist attacks, fires and any other emergencies. The system includes police and fire departments (Rome, 2010).
The airport area will be under direct protection of the airport’s police. A police station will be stationed outside the terminal. There will be two armed squadrons doe disposal squad and elite bomb detection. Moreover, there will be a command centre outside the terminal in addition to a mobilization cell and an intelligent division.Under, fire and emergency services, the fire station will be equipped with a watch tower and command centre. The station will also be equipped with airfield crash fire tenders and rapid intervention vehicles. There will be fully equipped ambulances and an automated ambulift facility for the disabled passengers. There will be a medical clinic with adequate number of beds. An emergency partner for airport in case of any medical emergency will be established.
A fully automated perimeter intrusion detection system should be installed. The function of this system will be to detect any case of intrusion at the perimeter limits of the airport. Detection will be by means of censors that will also provide critical time for the security forces to react with the technical support that is received from various access control providers. The other equipment that should be installed to enhance security includes automatic retractable bollards, barricades and surveillance cameras. Biometric identification cards should also be designed for the staff and packing gate management system (Rome, 2010).
Under the passenger screening procedure, it is worth noting that passengers are screened for dangerous articles and weapons prior to boarding an airplane. There are several equipments that will be used for the passenger screening process. First of all, passengers will have to place their luggage on a conveyor belt for inspection. The x-ray equipment will be used for inspecting the luggage. Next, passengers will walk through a portal whose role will be to detect the presence of metallic objects. If at all, the metal-detecting portal sounds an alarm, passengers will be searched further in order to determine the cause of the alarm. The equipments used for alarm clearing search procedures are the physical-pat down search or hand-wand metal detectors. The metal detecting technologies will be implemented in a manner that ensures the airport and the air carrier security system is familiar to passengers.
Screening procedures that will be mandatory include x-ray imaging systems for screening hand-carried baggage and metal-detection portals for screening passengers. The metal-detection devices work under the mechanism that they impose a time-dependent magnetic field in the space within the portal. This magnetic field in turn induces eddy currents in ferromagnetic or metallic objects that pass through that space. The effectiveness of this screening system depends on both the performance of the equipment and the performance of the personnel resolving the alarms and operating the systems.
Screening equipment with higher processing times such as the millimeter wave backscatter will be used. Grouping of passengers will be done intelligently so that not each and every passenger will have to go through every step of the screening process. This strategy will decrease the problem of soft targets and deter a potential threat from attacking the security system due to the case of unpredictability (Rome, 2010).The airport will deliver a comprehensive intrusion detection system. The system will be fully integrated with advanced information management system. The system will provide CCTV, Video surveillance and secure area access management. The communication network will be highly reliable and it will provide a backbone security at the entire airport architecture for wireless, messaging and broadband services.
Other security systems to be installed include the power fence perimeter security system. This system is for areas where the need for physical barrier arises for instance secure cargo storage areas and detention facilities. Power fence electric fences will be installed.Critical infrastructure will be helpful in centralizing the airport’s security operations and integrating security video with information from other security systems and the control access. This integration will also enable the security personnel to be efficient through provision of a complete picture of the occurring events. The other way of integrating security systems is integrating the various stages of air passenger experience with biometric component. The component will effectively and uniquely identify each passenger (Rome, 2010).
Security management of freight air carriers is aimed at preventing cases of airplane hijacking. The air carriers have to deploy surveillance techniques and equipment to the airports. Moreover, it is essential for the transportation and defense departments to work with the air carrier industry in order to determine x-ray devices and metal detectors that are used by the military to help in preventing hijackings. Air carriers should use screening systems that enable passengers to be screened by according to magnetometer, behavioral profile, physical search or identification check. Air carriers should implement security programs that are capable of preventing the introduction of explosive or incendiary devices and weapons abroad (Rome, 2010).
Conclusion
It is therefore clear that setting up an efficient security system is an integral step to having a state-of-the art airport. The security system should be designed in a way that security is maximized and the passenger delay time is minimized. The system should also ensure security of passengers, employees and the airport’s workforce. It is vital to make use of advanced screening technologies and procedures that can enable detection of objects that can cause threat to the security system.
Reference
Rome, E. (2010) Critical Information Infrastructures Security: 4th International
Workshop, CRITIS 2009, Bonn, Germany, September 30- October 2, 2009
Revised papers. Springer.
