Airport Security

liviboy

Having worked in Airport Security in a previous life (OK as a student around 8 years ago)...

Security Officers MUST pass through the exact same security process as all other passengers, staff and crew (with the sole exception of "control authorities" (Police, Immigration/Customs, Special Branch, etc.) IF and ONLY they are in pursuit of a criminal. To do this they must declare so to security.

What I think you may have witnessed is something which occurs several times a day in most airports and one scenario which I used to have to do myself several times a shift goes something like this:

Standing at the WTMD (Walk-through metal detector) with (usually) my female colleague. Either a passenger or other staff member requires some form of assistance (it could be to guide a blind passenger through, it could be to assist a pacemaker passenger, it could be something as simply as fixing a TENSA barrier).

So I inform my colleague who I'm are standing with to fully observe me whilst I exit the "critical part" (not known as "Airside" anymore!) (the border is normally the WTMD itself, hence why people can gulp their liquids in the queue) in order to complete said job.

If I was fully in the line of sight of my colleague then it would be acceptable to return to the CP without fully re-clearing the process - usually security officers have a radio so they opt to go via the side gate rather than walk through the WTMD in order to avoid activating the detector. If, however, for any reason, I was not observable fully then I would need to re-clear security.

The key thing to remember, and my airport went through a phase of having a few, after any form of evacuation (usually a fire alarm), the entire building is emptied. Security then need to clear themselves back into the building. Depending on the type of evacuation, passengers could have mixed in the CP (mixed means those who have cleared and those who have not cleared security) - it all depends on where the nearest fire escapes lead to. There is, at that point, a bit of trust put into the staff to be able to sensibly clear themselves (usually one team) who will then clear other security officers in order to conduct a search of any contaminated areas and finally begin the process of re-screening all passengers, staff and crew.

Airport's are not fortresses, they are not and will never be 100% secure. As someone above said, the biggest threat to aviation is the insider threat. But it's the best we have for now.

GingerBob_3

liviboy wrote: »

Having worked in Airport Security in a previous life (OK as a student around 8 years ago)...

Security Officers MUST pass through the exact same security process as all other passengers, staff and crew (with the sole exception of "control authorities" (Police, Immigration/Customs, Special Branch, etc.) IF and ONLY they are in pursuit of a criminal. To do this they must declare so to security.

What I think you may have witnessed is something which occurs several times a day in most airports and one scenario which I used to have to do myself several times a shift goes something like this:

Standing at the WTMD (Walk-through metal detector) with (usually) my female colleague. Either a passenger or other staff member requires some form of assistance (it could be to guide a blind passenger through, it could be to assist a pacemaker passenger, it could be something as simply as fixing a TENSA barrier).

So I inform my colleague who I'm are standing with to fully observe me whilst I exit the "critical part" (not known as "Airside" anymore!) (the border is normally the WTMD itself, hence why people can gulp their liquids in the queue) in order to complete said job.

If I was fully in the line of sight of my colleague then it would be acceptable to return to the CP without fully re-clearing the process - usually security officers have a radio so they opt to go via the side gate rather than walk through the WTMD in order to avoid activating the detector. If, however, for any reason, I was not observable fully then I would need to re-clear security.

The key thing to remember, and my airport went through a phase of having a few, after any form of evacuation (usually a fire alarm), the entire building is emptied. Security then need to clear themselves back into the building. Depending on the type of evacuation, passengers could have mixed in the CP (mixed means those who have cleared and those who have not cleared security) - it all depends on where the nearest fire escapes lead to. There is, at that point, a bit of trust put into the staff to be able to sensibly clear themselves (usually one team) who will then clear other security officers in order to conduct a search of any contaminated areas and finally begin the process of re-screening all passengers, staff and crew.

Airport's are not fortresses, they are not and will never be 100% secure. As someone above said, the biggest threat to aviation is the insider threat. But it's the best we have for now.

Thanks. That could be the explanation. I'll look more closely next time I'm passing through, to see precisely what's happening.


However, come to think of it, on a previous occasion at the same airport I've seen armed police passing from landside to airside with no check at all. Quite why we need armed police airside is another question, of course.

liviboy

Police are subject to search (excepting as previously mentioned if on pursuit) but it is not permissible to search the Personal Protective Equipment carried(firearms including CS spray, ammunition, etc.) it is also not permissible for an armed officer to remove their firearm...

As you can guess, the firearms carry a significant amount of metal so they will obviously activate the WTMD.

So a common sense approach is adopted.

Before police (or any staff) go through the security area their ID badges will have been visibly checked (the photo matches the person) and will have been swiped/scanned to confirm validity. Police officers (including armed officers) additionally carry their Warrant Cards as a secondary form of ID.

And finally, police normally travel in pairs which acts as another line of defence.

As a post finally, whilst not official, you get to know the police officers (both armed and not and both uniformed and plain clothes) and when a new face appears it triggers a bit more detail in the ID checks. (That's not to say that just because you know the officer they could get through without their ID...just that you begin to recognise quicker!).

Regarding why armed police airside - a reminder that aircraft arrive in the UK from all over the world, including from countries with much more lax security (ever notice you don't re-clear security if connecting domestic to international but almost always have to re-clear security if you arrive from an international flight to a domestic one?). Therefore there are no guarantees that aircraft, crew and/or arriving passengers haven't managed to smuggle something on board in order to use or to leave for someone else...