To: Minister for Aviation (Baroness Sugg CBE)
Protection for Airport Passenger valuables at Security.
To initiate an imediate review of the current Security Scanning Methods/Processes, with a view to identify gaps and improvements of Security Accountabilities at all UK Airports in relation to passengers valuables placed in trays during and imediately after scanning on conveyer belts.
To ensure that improvements and changes are implemented to the current UK Security Processes, which will vastly reduce and assist to prevent these vulnerable items being subject to incidents of theft, due the current ‘free for all’ chaotic process and easy access to all trays, by all passengers, while the owners themselves are unable to ensure their safety, due to body searches.
Why is this important?
Airport Security scanning is recognised as an essential part of safety for passengers. It is also a ‘Mandatory’ process. All Passengers must place their valuables in multiple trays on conveyer belts and they do so trusting that their belongings will be safe in the Security Processes.
It is reasonable that they should believe this, as there is no alternative and one can refuse security scans if they want to fly, and rightly so.
However, this is not a voluntary process. It is enforced. Therefore, it should be mandatory that all Security staff ensure all items are protected and controlled during the whole checking process, then safely returned to their owners.
Passengers do not expect their items to be at risk of theft when they place these items into the trays and into the hands of the Security staff. Nor do passengers feel they can challenge anyone if, in all too frequent situations of peak passenger flow, they suspect these items will be at risk by complying to these regulations.
It is wholy unfair and unacceptable that this is happening and is causing undue stress for passengers and it is an open invitation to criminals. As seen in current media articles. These items should be safe and the current process unacceptable.
