Dubai Airport Security Program - Research Paper Example

Dubai Airport Security Program Security and economic development of any nation depend greatly upon the secure activities of its aviation system and the use of globe’s airspace by the nation, its international partners and legitimate business interests. However, weak security will always expose the nation to a threat to the safety of the plane or those that uses it, passengers. Terrorists and criminals have viewed the airports and airspace in general as the target for exploitation and attack (Bjørgo, 2013, p.14). As a result of these threats, nations have concentrated on how to take drastic actions to reduce and prevent these attacks and the effect of future situations. Dubai Airports are taking measures to reduce and prevent threats within the airports. Sometimes attacks might be sophisticated and can utilize a combination of physical, information technology, environmental, companies and people’s weaknesses (Snowden, 2002, p.22). Some of the threats that are likely to be experienced in the airports include high and lower yields vehicle bomb placed near passenger terminals and armed hostage and obstruction situations in passenger terminals among many more. Safety is also viewed in terms of fire outbreaks, theft, and terrorism that have become a major challenge and threat to most businesses around the globe. Large buildings, market places, learning institutions, churches, mosques, and airports are the most targeted places as far as terrorism is concerned (Staniforth, Carlile & Parkinson, 2014 p.31). Many people have suffered severely in aeroplane attacks since the start of airline companies. These include United Airlines Chesterton Crash 1933, Canadian Pacific Air Lines In-flight bombing in 1949, United Airlines Flight 629 In 1955, 2004 Russian aircraft bombings Islamist terrorist attacks and so many attempts. All airports around the world have a detailed program on how security is handled to ensure that passengers and cargos arrive at their destinations safely without being hurt or harmed by any means possible. Dubai Airports have steadily reviewed its security to enhance safety delivery of their service in a secure environment in a more responsible way. Security maintenance is a collective responsibility that involves many individuals and organizations to ensure the safety of workers, passengers and any property within the airport vicinity. Dubai Airports are currently working close with police departments, General Civil Aviation Authority, and other departments to work under the global rules and regulations with an aim of enhancing safety within airports. Different airports have different requirements, and time taken to deal with the requirement also varies in many ways. In this case, it always recommended that the passengers should contact the airline they wish to travel with to find the requirements and how early they are expected to be at the airport. The practice will give the passenger an overview of what to expect when travelling through most of the international airports. For passengers with baggage, there are guidelines that protect them and their luggage to ensure better service in a safe environment condition. General security guidelines for passengers with carry-on bags There are set guidelines that I found from my research concerning the security program put in place by the airport. These include: Baggage: Passengers are restricted to carrying one carry-on bag and one item like a briefcase or a purse on flights. These baggages are subjected to thorough checks to ensure that no harmful item is concealed inside. These items include explosives and illegal drugs that can be used to harm the flight and the travellers on board. Prohibited and Restricted Items: Travellers are always advised to make sure that they know what should not be carried to the airport or on the aeroplane. This will not only avoid inconvenience but also save the passenger from getting prosecuted by the law enforcers. There are common items that are not accepted on the plane, but passengers accidentally carry them, and they include liquid and gel cans that are larger than the required size. Any item that is flammable, item that can explode or an item that can be used as a weapon is always not permitted to be on board (Dubai airport review, n.d) Recording and documentation for domestic travel: There are different types of acceptable identification documents that are required before getting into the airport and inside the plane. Some of these include a government recognized photo ID for those who are over the age of 18 years. A boarding pass and any boarding document are also issued to all passengers on board. The documentation for international passengers: All travellers boarding international flights are required to have a passport. Visa is also required depending on your destination. This is a compulsory requirement for all adults, children and infants on board. Check-in: It is recommended for travellers register and makes a copy or prints their boarding passes prior to the airport arrival. For those who have checked baggage, it is required that they have to check bags at the airline counter. It is also advisable to know if the curbside check is available at the airport to enable the passenger knows the exact weight of his or her bag and facilitates faster arrival to gate. Terminal Access: It is only passengers with valid tickets which are allowed to get to this point where screen checks are conducted. However, passengers who require an escort service to the gate or anybody with a special need or medical condition are allowed. Children who are unaccompanied may be assisted at this point. Electronics goods: Laptops and other items like tablets are subject to extra screening and passengers are always expected to remove them from the bags for screening since they can also be used as concealment areas for drugs and explosives. Metals: At the checkpoints, passengers are required to remove all metallic items going through a thorough screening procedure. There are some products that can be left in the bag such rings, but again this depends on the person conducting the checking and the intention of the procedure. Dubai airport always advise its customer to be ready for checks and adhere to the set regulations placed for those with light luggage to avoid troubles with authority within the airport premises, customers should get the best service in a safe environment for all. Apart from the set guidelines for baggage, passengers on the other hand are expected to follow the laid procedures to ensure that they cope up with the security measures that are put in place with the both the airport authorities and the airlines operating at the airport. This is due to recent attacks and attempts in most of the major international airports. As a result of this situation, the airports have set some of the tips to help the passengers get the services in a better and secure manner. Early arrival at the airport at least three hours before departure is highly encouraged. This will help the traveller meet the requirements earlier and avoid rushing that may land them into trouble such as missing the flights. It is more recommended for the disabled, and travelling with kids and infants. Passengers need to check for the required relevant travelling documents that are necessary for boarding any plane and accessing the airport. Photo Id, visa and passport are some of the commonly required documents that a traveller must ensure are in his or her possession. Therefore, it is important to check the airport’s and airlines’ requirements prior to travelling to allow time for acquiring the documents if in case the passenger doesn’t have any of the required. Dealing with the threats Recent findings have indicated that most of the explosives are concealed inside electronic items. For this reason, Dubai International introduced a new security regulation that requires the passengers to switch on their gadgets to confirm if they are real. The regulation can block any passenger who is not willing to turn on the devices from boarding the plane. This is applicable to all electronics including those that at the duty-free retail shops within the airport (Panjabi, 2014). Apart from switching on the electronics, other pack goods are also required to be opened for further checks for those passengers who are boarding flights to different destinations around the world. As a result of the changes, staffs are required to explain to customers who are not aware of the new procedures at the airport. However, many might think that it is a way of frustrating the customers but is one of the measures of dealing with threats to ensure their safety in and out of the Dubai airports. Dubai being one of the busiest airports around the world is faced with numerous security issues. Therefore, setting tight security regulations is highly recommended to ensure that the safety of the travellers, staffs, and the property is enhanced throughout the operational hours. Different airlines are also required to comply with the regulations of different countries where they are operating to and from. The new security programs have recently created delays in most of the airports including Dubai International airport and Abu Dhabi. Passengers are taken through thorough screening to ensure that nothing is left unturned. Security Objectives After laying the procedure and guidelines for different areas within the airport, the security program demanded that the general security should be based on the national and international laws and policies to ensure that public, assets, airline staffs and information systems are protected. One of the sectors that are given high priority is the aircraft; it is protected from the illegal introduction weapons, explosives and drugs that are harmful to human and animal health. In the terminals, CBRNE and HVAC protection have been installed, and places for quarantine, bio chemicals, and detox screening have also been defined. To separate public from secured areas, physical barriers, CCTV surveillance, sensors, and patrols are done to maintain safety. Employees are not left behind; they are also sensitized through awareness programs to help them know how to react to the incident. Airport access control officers are always updated on the current threats and detection skills learned within the shortest time possible. The new program also entails audits, checks, survey and inspections to be carried out regularly to verify compliance with requirements of the regulations and performance objectiveness contained in the airport security program. This is done by qualified and trained individuals who have the necessary authority to enforce the regulations. Dubai airport is also using the employees through motivation, offering skills, awareness programs and education as ways of improving security level and assisting employees to progress in their professions and gain recognition within the aviation industry. This is to focus the attention on security, to ensure that the goals of the set programs are achieved; the airport authority conducts the training program to all the employees working in the airport. It is one of the ingredients in managing the security and risks associated with it. The awareness program has advantages to the airport in many ways some of them include giving new employees an overview of the current trends and issues in security together with best practice for managing security issues. The awareness also ensures a stable understanding of the current affairs on the security landscape. Design and implementation of the security solution Through the plans that are created to tackle security issues, the airport has put into considerations ways to implement more recommendations to the security solutions. These actions include defining a new security organization that consists of the security committee and at least one active and working security group. Developing operational security processes to deal with handling crisis and introduction of antiterrorism response services. On the other hand, new security control rooms have been put established to enable the security officers offer an effective service. Modern physical barriers, improved video cameras and access control have been installed to provide more help to enable guards and law enforcers perform their duties with ease and increase in efficiency of the service. Benefits of implementing the solution Determining the danger is important since the airport management must know and understand the threats, what properties are most crucial to protect and the ones that are vulnerable. Therefore, it is also important to carry out a risk assessment program to know the weak points that are exposed to threats. However, in Dubai airports, it was already done in consultation with international partners such as the United States of America and the UK. This helps the management to balance threats to vulnerabilities and the extent of risk. There are also strategies put in place to prevent incidents, apply countermeasures, detect suspicious operations, reaction to alerts, alleviate the impacts of the incident and improve from the occurrence (Gulf News, 2014). A lot of emphases have been directed to terrorism leaving environment safety without concentration. However, that is a different story from what Dubai airport management is doing to the airport's safety. An environment is equally important just to life and property. There is an environmental management program that is carried out to ensure environmental risks are reduced just like terrorism. This is done through innovative ideas to reduce environmental effects in support to the UAE Vision 2021. The main challenge of this issue is carbon emission to the airspace, and this has created an alarming situation for the management to take drastic measures on the menace. An initiative to help in reducing carbon footprint has been put into consideration; these include installing solar panels on top of the newly constructed houses. According to WAM news agency, the management has put in place an array of 192 solar panels of 450 square meters. This will have more advantage especially in generating while keeping the buildings and surrounding environment cool through reflecting sunlight. Apart from solar panels, there is also a program which is aimed at recycling of wastes. This involves collecting non-hazardous wastes such as papers, plastics, and glasses, cardboard, and metals. This program will help in reducing the total amount waste materials being disposed in most landfills. The recycled wastes can also be used in putting up the facilities. To ensure the safety of environments, the management is planning use fifty percent of wood materials that are certified and inline to the principles and criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council (Dubai Airport review, n.d). The project is meant to reduce the adverse environmental effects of irresponsible forest actions. Another project that is meant for environmental security is the designing and construction of environmentally friendly terminals within the airport to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint in relation to environmental policy. The airport has a target of neutralizing carbon development, and this initiative will provide the support to ensure that target is met within the stipulated time. Security is vital to the environment, property and human beings, therefore, the concentration should be given to both areas as it will improve a safety environment and free from crime and terrorist related incidents. Apart from the environment and airport security issues, there are also some that Dubai airports have established a policy to deal with an Inadmissible passenger. An inadmissible passenger is a traveller who is not legible to step in UAE by the authorities due lack of crucial documents or any other issue that is deemed fit by the immigration officials. This policy illustrates the processes and procedures that must be followed when dealing with an inadmissible passenger upon arriving in the United Arab Emirates. The procedures for handling an inadmissible traveller do not go against the rights of an individual and are in line with security laws that govern the land and the regulations that control the airport. The policy demands an inbound airline to ensure the removal of the passenger out of the country to the airport where he/she came from. A penalty is also imposed on the inadmissible person with disregard of the age or gender. The fine is also applicable to the airline involved in bringing the inadmissible passenger; this is a bit higher than that which is being imposed on the passenger. Another important area that has a tight security is airside. The access is of an area is obtained through an issuance of the airport airside pass. The pass is issued by Dubai Airports authority in collaboration with other bodies such as the police department. Conclusion By implementing security measures and methodology, security solutions can be adjusted to alterations in threats and other security related risks. This will enable the adjustment of ventures in accordance with the protection needed. Dubai airports through its relevant bodies are making sure that these measures are implemented to achieve the set objective for curbing insecurity and other threats that may arise within the airports and those on board in the aircraft. Dubai airport's security reflects the risk and financial state of the resources within the airport; therefore, the level of security is maintained to ensure the safety of these assets. The methodology for implementing the security program is measurable and covers all areas of the airports, from one single place to the whole airport, beginning with the passenger’s terminal, mail, and cargo terminals respectively together airside and landside included. References Snowden, L. L. (2002). Preventing terrorism. North Chelmsford, MA: Erudition Books, Courier Custom Pub. Bjørgo, T. (2013). Strategies for preventing terrorism. Staniforth, A., Carlile, A., & Parkinson, J. (2014). Preventing terrorism and violent extremism. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Dubai airport review, (n.d). Retrieved from http://dubaiairportsreview.com/standards/safety-security/ Panjabi, A (2014, July). Dubai Duty Free purchases subject to new airport security checks. Aviation News. Retrieved from http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/dubai-duty-free-purchases-subject-to-new-airport-security-checks-1.1359719 Gulf News, (2014, July). Airport checks tightened after terror threat. Retrieved from http://gulfnews.com/news/americas/usa/airport-checks-tightened-after-terror-threat-1.1355510 Dubai airport review, (n.d). Retrieved from http://dubaiairportsreview.com/environment/safety-security Read More