Posted on 08/15/2006 6:07:30 AM PDT by TrebleRebel
THE Government is discussing with airport operators plans to introduce a screening system that allows security staff to focus on those passengers who pose the greatest risk.
The passenger-profiling technique involves selecting people who are behaving suspiciously, have an unusual travel pattern or, most controversially, have a certain ethnic or religious background.
The system would be much more sophisticated than simply picking out young men of Asian appearance. But it would cause outrage in the Muslim community because its members would be far more likely to be selected for extra checks.
Officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) have discussed the practicalities of introducing such a system with airport operators, including BAA. They believe that it would be more effective at identifying potential terrorists than the existing random searches.
They also say that it would greatly reduce queues at secur-ity gates, which caused lengthy delays at London airports yesterday for the fifth day running. Heathrow and Gatwick were worst affected, cancelling 69 and 27 flights respectively. BAA gave warning yesterday that the disruption would continue for the rest of the week.
Passengers are now allowed to take one small piece of hand luggage on board but security staff are still having to search 50 per cent of travellers. Airports have also been ordered to search twice as many hand luggage items as a week ago.
BAA was criticised yesterday for failing to commit itself to recruiting more security staff and for claiming that its existing 6,000 staff at seven airports would be able to handle the extra searches. Tony Douglas, the chief executive of Heathrow, said that X-ray screening of hand luggage would be much faster under the new rules on size and contents, leaving staff free to carry out more searches.
The new measures, which include a ban on taking any liquids through checkpoints, are expected to remain in place for months. A DfT source said it was difficult to see how the restrictions could be relaxed if terrorists now had the capabil-ity to make liquid bombs.
The DfT has been considering passenger profiling for a year but, until last week, the disadvantages were thought to outweigh the advantages. A senior aviation industry source said: “The DfT is ultra-sensitive about this and won’t say anything publicly because of political concerns about being accused of racial stereotyping.”
Three days before last week’s arrests, the highest-ranking Muslim police officer in Britain gave warning that profiling techniques based on physical appearance were already causing anger and mistrust among young Muslims. Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We must think long and hard about the causal factors of anger and resentment.
“There is a very real danger that the counter-terrorism label is also being used by other law-enforcement agencies to the effect that there is a real risk of criminalising minority communities.”
Sir Rod Eddington, former chief executive of British Airways, criticised the random nature of security searches. He said that it was irrational to subject a 75-year-old grandmother to the same checks as a 25-year-old man who had just paid for his ticket with cash.
Philip Baum, an aviation security consultant, said that profiling should focus on ruling out people who obviously posed no risk rather than picking out Asian or Arabs.
A DfT spokesman refused to make any comment or answer any questions on profiling.
"Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We must think long and hard about the causal factors of anger and resentment. "
I agree. I got angry last week when I was randomly pulled out for body searching.
I would be curious to know how many planes have been destroyed by whites, asians, blacks, indians, vesus arabs.
Maybe when muslims start getting profiled they'll actually be vocal in denouncing ISLAMOFACSISTS.
Only 5 years late.
Oops...I forgot. We still don't profile, here.
And when it seems like we have profiled enough,,,,PROFILE AGAIN!!!!
We'd have a better chance of convincing them that the qu'ran forbids airplane travel.
Yes, but only as taqiya (lying to serve a "higher" religious purpose).
Face it.
Mohammetanism is hopelessly flawed, tainted, and pigeon-holed by its own source texts and the pirate and brigand that invented it, Mohammet.
A non-Muslim can NEVER trust a Muslim. We can NEVER know for certain when they are telling us the truth.
.
I'm still wondering what it will take for the muslim community to express its OUTRAGE at what its religion is doing to the world.
Until the leaders of that religion make it clear,,,that not only will you NOT go to heaven and get 72 virgins,,,,but you will ROT IN HELL for killing innocent people--this crap will never end.
Maybe we should BAN muslims from all flying to FINALLY get their attention!
Granted, you can't just check suspected Muslims only, since that gives the bad guys an obvious way to beat the system.
You need random screening and profiling.
did I wake up in an alternate universe this morning? Someone is finally getting the picture??
We can only hope it happens here too.
"profiling?
did our goberment 'get a clue' "
No. And they won't for a long time. But it looks like the Brits are about to get the beginnings of a clue.
"But it would cause outrage in the Muslim community because its members would be far more likely to be selected for extra checks."
"would cause"? How about the outrage it has already caused in the NON muslim community because they aren't being profiled but we are.
It has certainly made me hate them as well as the idiot govt bureaucrats sitting on their thumbs.
you are correct....I'm not in the UK
"Face it.
Mohammetanism is hopelessly flawed, tainted, and pigeon-holed by its own source texts and the pirate and brigand that invented it, Mohammet.
A non-Muslim can NEVER trust a Muslim. We can NEVER know for certain when they are telling us the truth. "
Exactly! I couldn't agree more. The problem is, those who know nothing of islam still spend time telling us how we should be tolerant. Those are the same folks who would be first to be beheaded under sharia law.
I pray every day that the world will wake up and see this.
Yeah, it's a shame Abdul, Mustafa, and Abu didn't think so long and hard about the causal factors of anger and resentment that things like blowing up planes can cause.
IMHO Subjecting muzzies to additional checks will NEVER happen in the politically correct, sissified,U.S.A.
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