This last week, you've probably heard about the
British foiling a terrorist plot to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives smuggled on board through hand luggage. Currently, there's a lot of discussion about safeguarding our airports and airplanes. Some parties blame the government for not having technology that can scan for liquid explosives. As a knee-jerk reaction, governments are now looking for technological solutions and throwing money at the problem. However, I was watching a documentary about airport security in Israel, and how they deal with the threat of terrorism since they are literally on the frontlines when it comes to terrorism. The company that runs their airplanes is El Al, and it is considered the most secure airline in the world.
El Al does rely on technology for its security, but it also recognizes that technology is a tool, and not a magic cure all. They rely on human factors for security as well, which I think is correct.
For example, one of the most controversial security practices that they do is conduct interviews with each passenger for up to an hour. They'll ask questions about your destination, country of origin, goals, political beliefs, religious beliefs, etc. These questions are used to see if you fit the profile of a terrorist. During this questioning period, they'll also observe your behaviour. If you're a terrorist, you would feel very uneasy and stressed during security interview like this, and it could give you away.
A famous case of this security interview / profiling working is against Richard Reid, the shoe bomber. There's an
article about Richard Reid traveling to Israel, and he was subjected to a security interview by El Al. The interviewers noted that Richard Reid seemed very uncomfortable and stressed during the interview, and his behaviour was very strange. So, on the airplane, they sat an armed air marshall next to him, and they told the air marshall to keep an eye on this guy. I think this shows how effective screening people is compared to screening baggage. They identified this guy as a potential security threat, and they kept a close eye on this guy. A well conducted security interview trumps the millions of dollars we're dumping into technology in my opinion.
Of course, in our politically correct societies here in the West, it is unlikely that we'd tolerate what amounts to racial profiling when it comes to airport security. It is bound to set off a firestorm of outrage and lawsuits from various activists. Unfortunately, it might require a successful terrorist attack before better security is implemented. A lot of analysts complain that our defenses are reactive rather than proactive, meaning we only boost our defenses against the last threat, not against future threats.
There's an excellent wikipedia article on
El Al, and it covers just how much security the airline has. It's quite a fascinating read, and it shows you why they are the most secure airline in the world. They have 2-6 air marshalls on each flight. The entire crew is trained in hand-to-hand combat. They have reinforced steel to protect against bomb blasts. Heck, they even have an anti-missile defense system to protect against shoulder-fired missiles from the ground.
