Aviation security

Apart from the crew, only three things are carried on an aircraft: passengers and their baggage, cargo and catering supplies. An average Boeing 747 on a long-haul flight contains 47,000 individual catering items, of which 28,000 are food and 19,000 are others such as blankets, pillows, headsets, duty-free goods and paper towels. Around 1,100 international flights a day leave Heathrow and every item loaded on to an aircraft must be checked to ensure it is safe to fly.

There are more than 50 passenger-carrying airlines in the UK. This figure is set to rise as more and more people and freight move by air, despite reaction to 9/11 and recent alerts. Around 3 million tonnes of cargo and well over £100 billion worth of trade pass through Britain’s airports every year. Around three-quarters of all air cargo , as distinct from personal luggage, is carried on passenger aircraft.

Aviation security staff deal with air rage, drunkenness, assault, smuggling and crime, as well as the threat of international terrorism. Other security concerns include stowaways, espionage, human trafficking, illegal immigration, theft, sabotage, hijack and environmental protests. Heightened security continues to make headlines and irritate passengers. The threat posed by knives and other relatively unsophisticated weapons has increased the number of potentially lethal items being found at airports.

The primary objective of aviation security is ‘to safeguard passengers, crew, ground personnel and the general public against acts of unlawful interference perpetrated in flight or within the confines of an airport’. Aviation security officers have two broad responsibilities: to detect prohibited items, including unauthorised weapons, explosives and incendiary materials, and thereby prevent these being carried onboard an aircraft or into a restricted zone.

As well as key attributes for any security officer, the most significant difference between domestic security and aviation security is the use of technologies that support the underpinning knowledge, like X-ray machines, explosive detection techniques, biometrics and a host of others.

All unknown cargo must be screened to ensure that it does not carry any prohibited articles. Known cargo is sent to the airline by a known consignor who has been validated by an independent validator appointed by the DfT. Unknown cargo has to be screened and cleared by a regulated agent or airline before it is permitted to fly.

Aviation security in the Services

The RAF specialises in passenger and cargo aviation, and accompanying rigorous security. Most Service people spend a great deal of their lives thinking about, planning and implementing security in a variety of environments, and so have a great deal of experience in this field. Part of basic and more advanced training in some parts of the Forces is the accumulation of units leading to Security National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications.

The personal qualities for which people are selected, and which are then developed during military training, are also highly relevant, and most Service people will possess many of the skills that security employers look for. They should be physically fit and able to patrol an area, taking note of what they see and then writing a report. The ability to work as part of a team is critical, as is common sense, integrity and courage. They should be able to react to the unexpected, as well as being self-reliant and self-confident. Most Service leavers have many skills that are easily transferable into this sector.

Aviation security policy

UK airports operate a Multi Agency Threat and Risk Assessment system, which actively involves all security stakeholders. It identifies the full range and size of security and criminal risks at an airport, and the roles and responsibilities the different agencies have in addressing them. The aim is to produce a security plan that is jointly owned and can be routinely revisited to take into account future developments, like changes in the type, volume or profile of services operating at that airport, or responding to new or differing crime trends or threat intelligence.

Training

Aviation security training is generally divided into five main groups:

1. managers
2. instructors
3. cargo and in-flight catering
4. aircrew
5. ground security staff.

Training is generally carried out by qualified instructors in large aviation companies or by a few specialist training providers for smaller organisations without this in-house capability. Students will usually be nominated for a course by their employer – depending on the role they are performing – and it is very unusual for somebody not employed in aviation security to attend a course. So the message is to find the job before attending a course. All students should be subject to criminal record and/or counter-terrorist checks. The DfT accredits security instructors, and details are published on its website. Precise details of programmes delivered by aviation organisations and different providers may vary but course content is generally as described in the following paragraphs.

Manager training is generally for people in management positions in airlines and airports. It is run within the industry (usually in-house but there are a few authorised training providers) with course content accredited by the DfT. Potential ground security staff instructors may also become qualified through this course, which should be a seven-day in-depth programme covering many aspects of aviation security management, including:

• threats to civil aviation
• objectives and organisation of aviation security
• recognition of firearms, explosives, IEDs and their components, and other prohibited articles
• access control
• contingency planning
• cargo
• searching and checking aircraft.

Instructor courses are of two types: air crew and ground crew. Both are run by the DfT, although ground security staff instructors may also become qualified through attending manager training.

Ground security staff instructor courses take around seven days and cover:

• threats to civil aviation and countermeasure philosophy
• role of police and EOD teams
• recognition of firearms, explosives, IEDs and their components, and other prohibited articles
• physical screening techniques, technology and hold baggage screening
• perimeter protection and intruder detection
• searching and checking aircraft on the ground
• threat assessment and emergency procedures
• contingency planning, airport security programmes.

Aircrew security instructor courses take around three days and cover in detail:

• threats to civil aviation and countermeasure philosophy
• role of police and EOD teams
• recognition of firearms, explosives, IEDs and their components, and other prohibited articles
• hijack countermeasures, aircrew, airline and government response and police action
• potentially disruptive passengers
• searching and checking aircraft on the ground
• threat assessment and emergency procedures
• handling the media and post-event debriefing.

Cargo and in-flight catering security training is targeted a number of different responsibilities, including:

• managers of security functions and those intending to become trainers
• supervisors
• staff carrying out screening, searching, guarding, access control and pass issue
• other people who may handle or transport air cargo.

Aircrew receive up to a day’s training, which covers in outline:

• threats to civil aviation and countermeasure philosophy
• role of police and EOD teams
• weapons and explosives recognition
• hijack management and crew response
• national and regional programmes, contingency planning, airline security programmes.

Ground security staff should receive a detailed programme covering all aspects of the security screening process and access control as required by national and local specifications. Course duration is typically between seven and ten working days, and usually hosted on-site with access to the relevant screening equipment. The course is taken by screeners and supervisors, and should cover such subjects as:

• the threat, countermeasures and security programmes
• physical screening of passengers and use of metal detectors
• recognising explosive devices, detonators, firearms, ammunition, improvised pistols and bladed weapons
• X-ray theory, image recognition and operator interfaces
• health & safety, CCTV, operation, radio equipment and secure procedures
• cabin baggage search theory, prohibited items and confiscation procedures
• passenger screening, body language, special needs and unattended bags
• security awareness and dealing with incidents
• access control principles and systems
• vehicle search
• report writing.

Ground security supervisors first qualify as security staff and then undergo a three-day course covering:

• roles and responsibilities
• metal detectors and X-ray equipment performance and testing
• customer objections and conflict avoidance
• reporting procedures and requirements
• emergency procedures.

All people employed airside within an airport (retail, cleaning staff, etc.) receive a four-hour General Security Awareness Training Programme, including:

• the threat
• their part in securing the airport
• pass system
• evacuation procedures.

Ongoing training should include emergency procedures and annual refresher courses.

Employment

Airports, airlines, air cargo and in-flight catering organisations and aviation security companies have their own recruitment systems, and applications should be made directly to the relevant organisation. Pay scales range from £14,000 to £30,000 per annum, depending on line management responsibility. Promotion is usually through internal progression, but there are exceptions to this rule. Roster or shift patterns depend on passenger throughput and type of employer.

Further information

Further information should be obtained directly from potential employers. People with the necessary instructional skills and previous aviation experience who wish to become instructors in this sector are advised to look at the DfT’s website: www.dft.gov.uk.