Security breach in Edinburgh

Security at Edinburgh Airport was breached on July 16th, when a man running late for his flight bypassed security checkpoints. The man left the long-term car park and traveled directly to the ‘live’ hub area, close to the runway. Staff quickly removed the man who was charged by local police.

After his arrest, the man was released and charges were dropped.

Airport operator, BAA maintains that the level of security at the airport is adequate, but not everyone agrees.

Although the event occurred two weeks ago, details have only recently become known to the public. The identity of the man has not been released although it is known that he parked at the Hilton Hotel. The man then slipped through a metal barrier in the fence surrounding the airfield.

An airport employee described what happened as “absolutely shocking”. He said: “The fact that it happened so soon after the events in Glasgow is just embarrassing and shows a serious lack of professionalism by the security staff. We saw the guy just wandering through past the planes and no-one was stopping him. It was a restricted area and he was strolling through with his bag. Anything could have happened. His bag hadn’t been checked so it could potentially have had anything in it. It was only when he was approached by the cleaning staff outside that he actually stopped.”

Professor Paul Wilkinson, an expert in aviation security said: “It should not be possible to just squeeze through a security barrier. It’s something that needs to be looked at. It’s creditable that staff noticed him, but this shows the perimeter barrier is not fully suitable for the job.”

Professor Wilkinson works for the Centre for Terrorism and Political Violence at St Andrew’s University. He remarked: “Most of the people are doing a very difficult job with tremendous efficiency. This does show that they need to keep up a high standard of security awareness, and cannot afford to be distracted. Scottish airports have improved their security very effectively, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. It’s always difficult to protect terminals.”

www.baa.com