Airport Security: Structural Zoning in Developing Countries
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Airport Security: Structural Zoning in Developing Countries Elzawi, A. The University of Saford, UK (email: [email protected]) Eaton, D. The University of Salford, UK (email: [email protected]) Abstract Civil aviation has often been an area of terrorist interest and activity. Long before the events of 11 September 2001, terrorists targeted airports and aircraft. The Rome and Vienna massacres of 1985 were launched against airports themselves. The hijacking of TWA 847 that same year, together with a variety of attacks occurring before and after those events served to identify aviation with terrorism in the public mind. For the terrorist, civil aviation assets remain high-value targets. Therefore, a safe and secure civil aviation system is a critical component of the nation’s overall security, physical infrastructure, and economic foundation. Billions of dollars and a myriad of programs and policies have been devoted to achieving such a system. The security measures employed in the airport environment involves screening passengers and their possessions, control of access to the aircraft and secured areas of the airport, and the inspections of baggage and cargo carried aboard the aircraft. This research paper sheds light on security zones in airports. The study focuses on identifying the main security zones in airports. These areas are: outside the airport and surrounding area; drop zones; lobby; boarding passes and check document zones; etc. The final contribution of the paper displays transit areas which may be vulnerable to breaches and terrorist attacks and identifies the relationship among of these areas. This research paper is entirely based on a literature review. Keywords: performance measurements, security zones, airport security. 278 1. Introduction Civil aviation has often been an area of terrorist interest and activity. Long before the events of 11 September 2001, terrorists targeted airports and aircraft. The Rome and Vienna massacres of 1985 were launched against airports themselves. The hijacking of TWA 847 that same year, together with a variety of attacks occurring before and after those events served to identify aviation with terrorism in the public mind. For the terrorist, civil aviation assets remain high-value targets. Therefore, a safe and secure civil aviation system is a critical component of the nation’s overall security, physical infrastructure, and economic foundation. Billions of dollars and a myriad of programs and policies have been devoted to achieving such a system. However the link between aviation and the development of societies have been investigated in only a small number of studies. These have generally emphasised the importance of airport security in reforming standards of aviation security in developing countries. The studies also indicated that developing countries including Libya are facing economic, cultural and social problems related to the implementation of enhanced airport security. Therefore, these developing countries are looking to establish strategies that will help them in the improvement of social and economic development rather than aviation security. The security measures employed in the airport environment involve inter ali: screening passengers and their possessions; control of access to the aircraft and secured areas of the airport, and the inspections of baggage and cargo carried aboard the aircraft; this is typically done by structural zoning of the airport. The study focuses on identifying the main security zones in airports. These areas are: outside airport and surrounding areas; drop zones; lobby; boarding passes and check document zones; etc. The final contribution of the paper displays transit areas which may be vulnerable to breaches and terrorist attacks and identifies the relationship amongst these areas. 2. General aviation terminology This section clarifies important terms such as Security, Airport, and Airport Security, etc., which are closely related to Aviation and will repeatedly be used in this research: Security: Noun (pl. securities) (1) - the state of being or feeling secure. (2)- the safety of a state or organization against criminal activity such as terrorism or espionage, etc. (Ask-oxford dictionary); Airports: Airports are key economic factors in the cities and regions, which they serve. The dynamics that relate to the development, construction, maintenance and operation of airports, therefore, deserve adequate study. As noted by Wiley, (1986) much of the literature on airports focuses on technical subjects, such as planning, design, construction, legal and environmental issues, while very little academic attention is focused on their management. The research by Wiley, (1986) is one of the few exceptions. 279 Airport threats: Aviation security staff deal with air rage, drunkenness, assault, smuggling and crime, as well as the threat of international terrorism – highlighted since the events of 9/11 such as underlined in the UK in the last couple of years. Other security concerns include stowaways, espionage, human trafficking, illegal immigration, theft, sabotage, hijack and environmental protest. Heightened security, including the deployment of sky marshals, continues to make headlines. The threat posed by knives and other relatively unsophisticated weapons has most certainly increased the number of potentially lethal items being impounded at airports. Airport security: Until the 1960s, airport security was relatively simple, requiring nothing more than civilian police to provide protection against conventional crimes such as theft, pick pocketing, vandalism, and breaking and entering. However, in the 1960s civil aviation became a recognized target for politically motivated crimes. These crimes came to include general acts of terrorism, such as mass shootings and bombings and, especially, aircraft hijacking. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009). Wells and Young (2004) mentioned that the most significant issues facing by the airport in the 21st century is airport security. Airport security concerns all areas and all users of the airport, not limited to travelers, airport police force etc. To guarantee airport safety, different procedures are designed to detect, prevent and respond to chemical acts. Security is different from safety. Security is means criminal activity, including hijacking, terrorism or any other unexpected criminal acts. Many parties are involved in securing the airport, including the airport administration body, the government, airlines, police and military force and so on. It is clear that airport security therefore refers to an array of techniques and methods used in protecting airports and aircraft from crime. Large numbers of people pass through airports. Such gatherings present a target for terrorism and other forms of crime. Similarly, the high concentration of people on large airliners, the potential high mortality rate of attacks on aircraft, and the ability to use a hijacked airplane as a lethal weapon provide an alluring target for terrorism. But the airport is primarily the place where passengers and their baggage can be controlled before boarding an aircraft. Preventing dangerous objects from being brought on board an aircraft is a significant step to prevent all acts of unlawful interference during a flight. Moreover, airport security provides defence by attempting to deter would-be attackers from bringing weapons or bombs into the airport. If they can succeed in this, then the chances of these devices getting on to aircraft are greatly reduced. As such, airport security serves two purposes: to protect the airport from attacks and crime and to protect the aircraft from attack. Airport security controls are governed by local regulations that have a genesis in national and international standards. For example; at Heathrow Airport; regulations control the drop off and pick up points at the concourse of each terminal, whereas in Khartoum Airport, a heavy presence of armed police and military personnel standing outside the airport is a scene similar to a military base. In Tripoli Airport, Libya; there is a drop off and pick up zone sited outside the airport concourse area 280 and special coaches run between this point and concourse. All these controls are legislated by governments, local government and airport authorities. Gileard and Yiqun. (1999) believe that security of promises is part of facility management .In other words facility management consist of property services such as maintenance ,restricted area ,commune areas, security ,etc. According to the above statement, it is safe to say that airport security is part of facility management of an airport, and facility management is part of airport management, therefore security airport is part of airport management. 3. Performance measurement Performance measurement’s origins can be traced back to the Progressive era reform movement, during which reformers were preoccupied with making government more efficient. Frederick Taylor’s (1912) work exemplified the reform movement’s concern with efficiency and measurement. His scientific management approach proposed that knowledge about a process could be reduced into laws and formulae resulting in the most efficient method or “the one best way” to accomplish a task. Then, as now, reformers were most concerned with efficiency, that is, how to produce the most output using the least amount of inputs. Measuring inputs and out-puts was the main idea behind Taylor’s seminal approach at improving managerial efficiency.