Airport security – an evolving challenge

Since the devastating terrorist attacks of 9/11, the threat of further atrocities has been at the forefront of the national agenda. Almost 10 years on and the security landscape has changed dramatically, with these changes most apparent in the aviation sector. Moreover, the recent announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden has provided a stark reminder of the risk the UK continues to face, with the Government warning of an increased likelihood of retaliatory attacks. As such, the role of aviation security is bound to remain critical in the fight against terrorism.

For many of us, it has been hard to believe that almost 10 years have passed since the World Trade Centre attacks of 9/11, bringing the aviation security industry firmly into the spotlight. Since then, airport security has been at the forefront of counter terror measures, as procedures and technology are continually updated to face the ever changing security threat.

A large, transient population, high volumes of luggage and easy access by members of the public means that airport security measures are always tested to their limits. Because of this, security personnel have come to rely heavily on technology to support them in ensuring the safety of passengers, crews, equipment and airport staff.

Changing procedures

With regulations strictly enforced around the items allowed within carry-on hand luggage, the use of security technology for luggage screening and monitoring the movement of bags from check-in desks to the aircraft in order to reduce the risk of tampering has become increasingly complex. This latter area is a critical aspect of flight safety, and includes the use of bar code readers to scan the labels of bags, auto – matically linking them to individual passengers at the time they board to ensure that unaccomp – anied luggage is not loaded onto an aircraft.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips can also be used for this purpose and can be particularly useful in moving freight around the airport. Tag identification and location information is instantly forwarded over a network to a host computer running software to provide real time management solutions via powerful reporting, display and decision and control functions. Linked assets and people can be tracked and located within close proximity, thus providing an automatic, non-invasive asset protection solution while enabling freedom of movement.

Other systems are capable of screening hold baggage using computer tomography equipment to generate a detailed, three dimensional image of the contents of a bag. Computer tomography comprises a nondestructive evaluation technique for producing two and three dimensional cross sectional images of an object from flat x-ray images. It allows the characteristics of the internal structure of an object to be determined, such as dimensions, shape, internal defects and density. The baggage passes between a radiation source and an imaging system, connected to a computer, developing a cross-sectional view of the object and its contents. This has the ability to speed up the scanning process, which is of course a key factor in any mass transit environment and increases the throughput of baggage and personnel scanning systems and reducing their susceptibility to false alarms.

A large scale challenge

By their very nature, airport sites are expansive, with a meandering perimeter and plenty of wide open spaces that are often difficult to police and secure. As such, the outermost perimeter of the site represents a key starting point in terms of physical protection combined with electronic measures such as CCTV and motion detection technology.

Attempts to breach fencing, for example, can be electronically monitored using fence mounted vibration detectors that trigger an alert in the security control room. Working in conjunction with these detectors, automatically directed CCTV camera observation can be triggered to track intruder movements in order to direct security patrols towards them quickly.

The difficulty of controlling large perimeters is compounded by an operating environment that presents a number of challenges not encountered in the protection of other locations, including the risk of interference and false alarms arising from jet blast vibration and the presence of systems such as ground surveillance radar. A combination of sensors and analysers therefore allows systems to be programmed to recognise the kinds of vibration specifically caused by intruders. The analyser will respond to events such as cutting, ramming or climbing, whilst ignoring the sort of movement caused by air and ground traffic or wind.

At Luton Airport, CCTV is employed both for internal and perimeter security and to monitor the majority of airport operations. The active airside area of the airport is covered by cameras incorporating an analytics mode ‘virtual tripwire’, which identifies designated unauthorised areas in each camera’s field of view. Whenever a vehicle or person crosses into these areas an alarm is automatically triggered and the appropriate camera view is displayed in the control room. The surveillance system is also linked to air traffic control monitoring of runways, taxiways and aprons, baggage handling areas, customs and excise, retail and catering operations and car parking. Control software provides authorised users with access to the video feeds from anywhere on the network.

A watchful eye

CCTV technology is not only useful in securing the airport buildings and perimeter, but can also be utilised on board aircraft themselves to address the potential threat from terrorists who may want to hijack a plane or detonate a device on board. Such systems – which are already in operation across a number of airlines – consist of covert and/or overt CCTV cameras installed throughout the passenger cabins of an airliner and connected to an advanced Digital Video Recorder (DVR). Of course, an especially critical area that these systems can help to secure is the cockpit door, preventing unauthorised access to the flight deck. Using the latest surveillance technology, flight deck crew can now readily view the area outside the flight deck door and adjacent galleys, via monitors, to access any situation and identify personnel before allowing them access to the cockpit, a capability which works in conjunction with the requirement to fit intruder resistant flight deck doors.

Access control

Effective security technology that is easy to use is a feature of ‘smart’ access control systems, which represent the next layer of protection beyond the perimeter. Depending on the location and sensitivity of the building or area involved, access control measures can range from paper-based logging systems for temporary contractors’ permits through to access control cards using radio frequency identification chips for more convenient proximity reading of card details and activation of gates, turnstiles and vehicle barriers.

Biometric based systems such as fingerprint readers and iris scanners are alternatives for higher risk locations. These use the unique human characteristics of a person to provide irrefutable proof of identity. Besides their important security function, access control systems can be used as a health and safety tool in the event of evacuation by quickly producing an accurate register of anyone still within a building or area.

One BSIA member provided a fully integrated access control solution to London’s Heathrow Airport during the construction of its new Terminal 5. This system is used for managing access throughout the airport and preventing unauthorised access to secure areas. It is also used for managing the flow of passengers, visitors and baggage through access points inside the airport.

In order to meet T5’s requirements, the BSIA member was able to customise its system to the airport’s needs. Consequently, the member fulfilled T5’s request to integrate access control with a CCTV system as well as design a card reader that enabled operators to automatically segregate international, domestic, arriving and departing passengers. A further challenge revolved around the efficient use of available departure gates, which was achieved with a system of 14 interlocked doors to enable staff to easily control the flow of travellers, whilst maintaining security and segregation between international and domestic passengers.

A physical presence

Despite these recent advances in security technology, a physical security presence is essential to maintaining order in airports, and also to manage and act upon the intelligence gathered through CCTV and access control systems. The presence of uniformed security guards at access points, as well as regular security patrols of buildings and the perimeter area can help to enhance the feeling of security for passengers.

The power of integration

Airports combining CCTV with Access Control and physical security measures such as fencing, bollards, doors and locks, backed up with security patrols can be confident that their overall security solution is robust, effective and intimidating to would be criminals.

About the Author

Ashley Smith has been Chairman of the British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) Civil Aviation Section since 2009.