Authorities need to find security problems before the terrorists do, writes Tom Clonan
Breaches in Dublin airport's security this week raise grave questions in terms of passenger safety and our collective awareness of the terrorist threat.
The safety audit at Dublin airport this week revealed a multiplicity of gaps in security at vulnerable points throughout the crowded facility, including the internal security cordon.
Inspectors are reported to have defeated all the airport's various internal security measures by gaining access to or smuggling weapons and a hoax bomb through all available routes from the "landside" environment of the arrivals hall to the supposedly secure "airside" environment of awaiting passenger aircraft, restricted cargo areas, aprons and runways.
The failure is compounded by newspaper reports that security personnel had prior notice of the audit.Inspectors are also reported to have gained access to secure cargo areas.
In addition, inspectors are reported to have gained access to passenger aircraft prior to the boarding of crew or passengers. During these critical unsupervised periods explosive devices could have been dispersed throughout a number of aircraft.
A hoax bomb was smuggled into the baggage hold of a passenger aircraft via the monitored screening system for hold baggage.
The systems in Dublin are believed to include sophisticated explosive detection systems capable of identifying the chemical signature of commercial plastic explosives. Dublin airport says the systems did not identify the hoax bomb as it did not contain real explosives.
In addition, a number of airline pilots, along with several Dublin Airport Authority employees, informed The Irish Times yesterday that reports of security inspectors gaining access to runways during the week were grossly exaggerated.
They also deny that any firearms were smuggled on to aircraft. Despite these counterclaims, however, the range of breaches in security represents a comprehensive systems failure in security.
A number of pilots indicated to The Irish Times that there is a much higher level of security enforcement elsewhere, particularly in Britain and the US. This is perhaps due to a certain naivety on the part of the airport authorities and the Government as to the immediacy of the terrorist threat.
Britain is bracing itself for a terrorist attack, with several key figures, including the prime minister and a number of chief constables, stating that large-scale terrorist attacks are inevitable. Given its lax security and low level of security awareness generally, Ireland's ports or airports would be attractive to terrorist groups for launching attacks on Britain.
Statements by Dublin Airport Authority chairman Gary McGann to the effect that media reporting of the security lapses were unhelpful are in themselves a symptom of a deep malaise in security consciousness at the airport.
Passenger vigilance and informed security awareness are crucial to airport security and counterterror measures. Ministers, airport management, security personnel and the public received a valuable wake-up call this week.