1/03/2010

New Airport Scanners would not have stopped Christmas Day Bomb Attempt

I suppose that this isn't too surprising. The question is: how invasive are you willing to be? Are we going to pat down everyone's crotch? Or do full body searches? The problem is also that liquids that are completely harmless by themselves can cause real problems when combined.

The explosive device smuggled in the clothing of the Detroit bomb suspect would not have been detected by body-scanners set to be introduced in British airports, an expert on the technology warned last night.

The claim severely undermines Gordon Brown's focus on hi-tech scanners for airline passengers as part of his review into airport security after the attempted attack on Flight 253 on Christmas Day.

The Independent on Sunday has also heard authoritative claims that officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Home Office have already tested the scanners and were not persuaded that they would work comprehensively against terrorist threats to aviation. . . .

And experts in the US said airport "pat-downs" – a method used in hundreds of airports worldwide – were ineffective and would not have stopped the suspect boarding the plane. . . .

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3 Comments:

Blogger The Right Guy said...

If they want to stop it, look to the model El Al uses. It's not the bomb, but the people. You have to profile and know who and what you are looking for. What they do now is ridiculous.

1/03/2010 12:48 PM  
Blogger Paul Gordon said...

I think that ultimately we are going to have to work very hard on removing the stigma from "profiling"; accept and allow its' use by people who know how (consult with El Al, if we don't know where to find such).

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1/03/2010 1:21 PM  
Blogger Paul Gordon said...

FYI - I totally agree with The Right Guy, as may be apparent by our comments.

Though my comment was made over half an hour after his, it was NOT a ripoff of it.

This is just a risk you take when you comment on a blog that is moderated; what you are saying may already be in the pipeline by others, unbeknownst to you.

Best attitude to take: "Great minds think alike." :-)

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1/03/2010 10:12 PM  

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