Ronaldsway security officers Number, duties and hours

1.5. The Hon. Member for Malew and Santon (Mr Cregeen) to ask the Minister for Transport:

(1) How many security officers Ronaldsway Airport employs; (2) what their duties are; and (3) what hours their duties require them to work?

The Speaker: Question 5. Hon. Member for Malew and Santon, Mr Cregeen.

Mr Cregeen: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name.

The Speaker: Minister for Transport.

The Minister for Transport (Mr Anderson): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am presuming the Hon. Member is referring to the general security provision at the Airport, rather than security officers in the search area, and I have answered accordingly as taking that assumption. To answer part (1) of the Hon. Member’s Question, the Isle of Man Airport currently employs 13 aviation security officers and four airport duty officers/security supervisors to cover 24 hours, 365 days a year, of which, during the Airport operational hours, a supervisor and three officers (ASOs) are on duty at any one time. There are two ASOs on duty throughout the night period when the Airport is closed. All 17 are warranted constables. With regard to part (2), the nature of these duties is in accordance with the UK National Aviation Security Programme and the Airport Security Programme. Both are restricted documents. The primary duties of the security staff are to ensure that the aircraft, cargo, and passengers remain free from unlawful interference. This takes the form of foot and vehicle patrols, both air-side and land-side, as follows during operational hours: (a) one officer is employed on the air-side duties, which consists of patrolling all airfield areas, but also includes the high security restricted zone internal areas; (b) a second officer is employed on the land- side duties, consisting of policing all the internal areas of the terminal building prior to the security check points and attending the forecourt area, car park and external patrolling of the airfield boundary; (c) the third officer is employed in amber post, which is the control room, from where all CCTV is monitored and is also in the communications centre for all security and emergency co-ordination; (d) the Airport Duty Officer (ADO) is in overall charge of the security officers on duty and is also responsible for ensuring that terminal operation is running smoothly on a day-to-day basis, and has additional duties such as health and safety checks to make. All the security staff are first-aid trained and respond to any medical emergencies on the Airport grounds. In addition, these officers are called upon to work with the Island Police, Immigration and Customs officers on various matters and may be called upon to use their powers of arrest when such circumstances dictate. Each officer also has a role to play during times of aircraft incident or accident. Finally in answer to part (3), all ASOs work eight-hour shifts consisting of six days of work on a nine-day rota cycle. When on duty, the work is broken down into approximately one-hour stints in each of the three areas on a rotating basis for the duration of their shift. ADOs work a shift pattern of early and late shifts, covering all Airport opening hours, which also includes when the terminal is open, which is 45 minutes before the first aircraft movements of the day; night-time staff having one officer in amber post and the other on patrol on the airfield and terminal building.

The Speaker: Mr Cregeen. No? Mr Karran.

Mr Karran: Can the Shirveishagh explain and will he check up on the issues as far as the pay difference between the Government workers and the private company that has the contract, as far as part of the security officers’ duties, as far as the Airport is concerned? Can he also check up so that we do not end up with a situation where security could be embarrassed by the fact of the poor record of the present owner of the contract for the privatised part of this work, in order to make sure that it is not ending up with an industrial dispute in the very near future because of the bad way its contract is working, as far as those employees are concerned?

House of Keys 03 Mar 2009

The Speaker: Minister.

The Minister: Mr Speaker, I have no knowledge of bad working practices, or however the Hon. Member refers to it. We have a contract with the security firm that delivers to a very high standard; we have no problems with that at all. The contract was recently put out to tender and a new company was awarded the contract. That company is delivering to a very high standard and I am aware of no problems with that. If the Hon. Member would like to make reference to that, I am very pleased to look into it.

House of Keys 03 Mar 2009