Knockout
23rd Aug 2004, 03:14
Security upgrade for regional airports
August 23, 2004 - 12:24PM
Regional airports will be issued with passenger screening equipment for use in heightened security situations under a $48 million package announced by the federal government.
Transport Minister John Anderson said the federal government would also create four eight-member Australian Federal Police Protective Service teams to test security, conduct training and respond to any increase in threat levels at regional airports.
Regional airport and airline staff will also get security training, cockpit doors on charter planes will be strengthened and $1 million will be spent on increasing public awareness of regional aviation security issues.
Mr Anderson said although hand-held security screening wands would be issued to 146 regional airports, they would only be used when heightened security alerts were in place.
"They will have equipment on site, they'll be trained how to use it, it will be there in the event of a heightened security alert situation for them to use," he told reporters.
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Mr Anderson said the measures would allow security to be rapidly upgraded at country airports if intelligence services believed there was an increased threat of terrorist attacks.
"You can't rule out the possibility that you'll have an incident that you haven't been warned about, but overwhelmingly our impression is that we'll get some sort of warning of the increased likelihood of a terrorist action," he said.
Mr Anderson said introducing permanent security screening at some regional airports and not others was impractical.
"You screen ten or twelve (airports), I would have thought any self-respecting terrorist would have said, `Oh well, we'll just move onto number 13,'" he said.
© 2004 AAP
August 23, 2004 - 12:24PM
Regional airports will be issued with passenger screening equipment for use in heightened security situations under a $48 million package announced by the federal government.
Transport Minister John Anderson said the federal government would also create four eight-member Australian Federal Police Protective Service teams to test security, conduct training and respond to any increase in threat levels at regional airports.
Regional airport and airline staff will also get security training, cockpit doors on charter planes will be strengthened and $1 million will be spent on increasing public awareness of regional aviation security issues.
Mr Anderson said although hand-held security screening wands would be issued to 146 regional airports, they would only be used when heightened security alerts were in place.
"They will have equipment on site, they'll be trained how to use it, it will be there in the event of a heightened security alert situation for them to use," he told reporters.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Mr Anderson said the measures would allow security to be rapidly upgraded at country airports if intelligence services believed there was an increased threat of terrorist attacks.
"You can't rule out the possibility that you'll have an incident that you haven't been warned about, but overwhelmingly our impression is that we'll get some sort of warning of the increased likelihood of a terrorist action," he said.
Mr Anderson said introducing permanent security screening at some regional airports and not others was impractical.
"You screen ten or twelve (airports), I would have thought any self-respecting terrorist would have said, `Oh well, we'll just move onto number 13,'" he said.
© 2004 AAP