Posted on 12/29/2003 12:03:35 AM PST by blam
Gun guards on British flights to US
By Toby Helm and Sean O'Neill
(Filed: 29/12/2003)
The immediate deployment of armed sky marshals on British transatlantic airliners was sanctioned by the Government last night because of a heightened threat of terrorist attacks. More screening at British airports and protection of aircraft while on the ground have also been ordered.
A joint statement issued by Alistair Darling, the Transport Secretary, and David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said that measures to prevent "any takeover of the aircraft cockpit" would be taken when necessary.
"Where appropriate", this would mean "the deployment of the covert armed police capability" known as sky marshals.
Officials stressed that the action, foreshadowed in a Government statement a year ago, was in response to fears of a greater threat to American targets. They said that passengers could face longer waits than normal because of the measures.
The Department of Transport refused to say how many sky marshals would be on each aircraft and who would pay for them: the Government or the airlines. But it insisted that their deployment would reduce the chances of terrorists hijacking an aircraft.
The decision was immediately criticised by Balpa, the British Airline Pilots' Association representing most British pilots. It said it deplored any move that meant carrying guns on to passenger aircraft.
Jim McAuslan, Balpa's general secretary, said: "We obviously take security as priority No 1 but we cannot agree with the Government on this.
"Armed guards create more problems than they solve. There ought to be major investment in security on the ground, where staff are poorly paid, poorly trained and there are not enough of them."
Mr McAuslan said that unless pilots received sufficient undertakings about the system of deploying marshals, including the guarantee that the captain remained in command of the flight, they would be within their rights to refuse to fly.
Mr Blunkett said that America had stepped up security in the past few days "and what we are proposing is a proportionate and appropriate response at a time when the threat to both our countries and around the world remains real and serious". He added: "People should not be afraid to fly."
Mr Darling said British aviation security was one of the most developed in the world and that procedures had been further tightened since the September 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon.
"Our aviation security programme works on many levels, with measures for all stages of the process from check-in through to the flight itself," he said. "Not all of the measures are obvious: a lot goes on behind the scenes."
Neither British Airways nor Virgin, the two biggest British transatlantic carriers, would comment last night. But BA made clear its reservations when ministers proposed the idea a year ago.
In a statement then, it said: "As a responsible airline we have concerns about the presence and use of firearms on board our aircraft. However, we are working closely with the Government to make sure that these plans do not jeopardise onboard safety and to ensure that the correct procedures are in place should deployment be necessary."
Washington raised security levels last week after reports that an American city was the target of a suspected plot to use a French airliner as a missile.
Air France cancelled several transatlantic passenger flights after officials passed on "credible" security threats involving passengers due to fly to Los Angeles on flights from Paris.
Prof Paul Wilkinson, of St Andrews University's centre for the study of terrorism, welcomed the measures as a "sensible" response to a growing danger. Al-Qa'eda terrorists still wanted to hijack airliners, he said.
He said that sky marshals had been used successfully in other countries such as Israel for some time. But security measures at many airports were still not tight enough, making security on board airliners even more vital.
Prof Wilkinson added: "If airports are letting people through who might try to carry out suicide hijackings, the danger to people on the ground as well as in the air is enormous."
Mark Oaten, the Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman, said: "Everything must be done to secure the safety of air passengers.
"But the Home Secretary must make it clear whether this is a reaction to new evidence or a delayed response to previous intelligence."
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