Security Events

FIA 2012: Transport Secretary addresses ADS security conference

Posted 11 July 2012

Refuse a security search and you will not fly. That was the clear message from Transport Secretary Justine Greening today as she addressed the ADS security conference at the Farnborough Air Show.

The Minister was part of a three-person panel discussing aviation security and she gave a stirring account of the Government’s thinking on modernising the current regulation framework.

“The Government is looking to the long term – 10, 20 even 50 years,” she said, adding that funding and technology were, obviously, key issues.

“There are huge opportunities for UK jobs and growth in the sector,” she told an audience packed into the conference area of the air show’s first ever dedicated Security Zone.

The Minister admitted that there was a delicate balancing act between maintaining the passenger experience and ensuring safety and security. “Unfortunately, the world we live in needs security checks,” she added. “We have to maintain public confidence that those checks are both effective and proportionate.”

Working collaboratively internationally – with Europe and other partners – was vital, said the Minister. However, she was clear that the UK would not support all legislation.

On security body searches, for instance, the European Parliament wanted an opt-out option for passengers. “The UK Government does not agree and I will block this in the UK,” she said.

Also on the panel, chaired by Sir Edward Crew, were Dr Tobias Feakin, senior research fellow and director of National Security and Resilience, and Shaun Hipgrave, vice president of the ADS Security Sector.