| With a reported 90 percent of illegalities occurring at airports being committed by airportCrime Chief Leslie James (front row left) and CANU Head James Singh were among those at yesterday’s workshop.staffers, several of the country’s aviation stakeholders met at the Grand Coastal Hotel, East Coast Demerara yesterday for a one-day workshop aimed at tackling collusion between corrupt airport functionaries.The workshop which was organized by Ogle Airport Inc saw the attendance of several airport professionals among them Immigration Officers, security personnel, bag handlers, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and police representatives.The attendees sought to identify the aviation sector’s vulnerability to negative collusions between airport staff and schemes that place airlift ports at security risks.In keeping with the workshop’s theme, “Collusion, security and safety in Guyana; the modern and challenging aviation environment,” special presenter,China Jerseys Online, Trinidadian-born, Caribbean Airlines Ltd. Training and Oversight Security official, Willard McIntyre,Boston Red Sox Jerseys, highlighted many negative instances that plague the sector and how these should be addressed.Hijackings, sabotage at airports and on aircraft, movement of illegal narcotics, inadmissible passengers and bomb scares are the five major threats faced when keeping airports safe, he explained. It was pointed out that there may be very little that can be done to affect the threats. “We can never stop intentions, or the capabilities or capacity of a person or a group of persons to carry out the threat.”“The actions as those in law enforcement and as policy makers, must be to reduce our vulnerability.” Once the opportunity is minimized to the point where perpetrators second guess themselves, then the criminal elements cannot flourish, McIntyre opined.It was mentioned further that the vulnerability of airports must be assessed in order to keep abreast with threat possibilities. McIntyre turned his attention to “collusions” which he said has been identified as being one of the biggest weaknesses to civil aviation. Though many of the security systems may need reassessment, he was adamant that, “the enemy in most instances is within, and not necessarily outside,” of the institutions.The risk and major threats in South America and the Caribbean is narcotics, McIntrye said. He highlighted several factors that can lead airport staffers to collude and become involved in illegal activities before highlighting some ways these matters could be addressed.The aviation veteran explained several measures where authorities can be more effective in tackling drug issues. This, he said, involved building relations with staffers to get feed on the ground. He spoke about the treatment of employees among other measures before noting that “statistics within the aviation community have indicated that 98.6 percent of all crimes that are committed at an airport are perpetrated by employees”; customer service agents,China Jerseys Cheap, ramp employees and law enforcement agents among others.Harold Hopkinson, Security Consultant at Ogle Airport, said that after 42 years in the aviation business, he is aware that there are “bad” airport officials,Daniel Norris Tigers Jersey, “and these types of employees will continue to emerge.”He, too,cheap nfl jerseys online, after pointing out Guyana’s previously stained reputation of illegal migration/backtracking, noted that collusion is a major issue in tackling issues at the airport. In the few examples he provided, it was highlighted further that many of the crimes were perpetrated by airport staff, many of whom are in collusion with other employees and persons outside the institution.Airports are major exit and entry points for illicit business operators and airport staffers will continue to be lured by their attempts. Hopkinson said,Cheap Jerseys From China, however, that there are good security and law enforcement officers with good ethics, but more work needs to be done to improve the situation.Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee believes that airports will attract shady and good characters. He said that Guyana is not isolated or immune to the global challenge of ensuring safety at the ports. He also said that illegal activities at airports are usually executed single handedly by persons who often hire footmen.The Minister commented on the issue of collusion in terms of airport security. He said collusion could be good or bad before highlighting that, “Airports are very complex institutions…it requires complex human resources, technological and other arrangements.” |
