Preparing for a security take-off

At present, the aviation industry is undergoing some fundamental changes. Like many industries, it's experiencing an intense period of consolidation. At the same time, airlines are increasingly recognising the potential of the purchasing power associated with their various strategic alliances.

These changes present outstanding opportunities for the aviation security industry. That said, the companies involved must be geared up for the job. In particular, they need to convince their customers of the complex and highly specialist nature of their business.

Unless they do so they are at risk of falling foul of the same problems that have beset many other factions within the security industry, where intense competition and a lack of any form of regulation has tended to devalue the services we provide.

The fact is that aviation security stands apart from other areas of the industry. Unsurprisingly our sector is highly regulated, with a raft of Government legislation controlling its activities. This includes the National Aviation Security Programme, as well as immigration and HM Customs and Excise guidelines. What's more, we often have to deal with several layers of legislation – notably the Department of Transport and the Regions' directives for UK-based airlines and airports and, for US-based operators, the Federal Aviation Authority regulations.

With all this in mind, simply surviving in the industry requires aviation security specialists to keep abreast of a myriad of regulatory arrangements. As well as working with customers towards influencing legislation, it's very much the security company's responsibility to comply with existing regulations on behalf of the client.

If we fail in any way to do that, the cost – to the operator (financially) and to the guarding company in terms of reputation – doesn't bear thinking about.

A customer-focused business
The various ways in which aviation security guards interact with the general public are also very different from the rest of the industry.

First, they have much greater daily contact with the public at large, whether it be at passenger screening points where documents have to be verified, or at central search areas, where items of hand luggage and the passengers themselves are routinely checked.

Aviation security companies must avoid their services becoming a mere commodity for the end user. It must be a security function that’s highly valued because of the depth of knowledge and experience possessed by its practitioners

Second, it's very often the case that airport security officers will have to deal with passengers in difficult circumstances. Inevitably, some passengers will have to be quizzed to confirm the validity of their documentation. They may even have to be searched by hand. As several high profile cases have shown, these situations are often emotive, potentially volatile and require expert and sensitive handling.

The complexity of technology used in the sphere of aviation security also places greater demands on the security guards. Not only do they need to know how to use that technology, they must also appreciate when and why it is most appropriate. For example, once all baggage has been screened by a conventional X-ray system, any 'uncleared' baggage must be directed towards the next level of checking. This could include explosion detection systems or smart technology X-ray devices that detect organic mass. Choosing the right approach to a given situation is therefore critical.

Other elements of the aviation security service demand further specialist skills and expertise. These include aircraft 'clean and search' operations, the monitoring of aircraft equipment and baggage screening – not to mention our 'second tier' services, such as escorting disabled passengers, valuables or firearms or operating 'Ambulifts'.

Higher calibre security officers
All of the points raised thus far mean that aviation security companies must always strive to recruit and train a higher calibre of security officer. Among other things, they must be more sensitive to the needs of the general public, be more aware of what's going on around them and readily able to understand and operate what is often complex technology.

Industry regulation demands that aviation security agents reach a minimum level of expertise in statutory areas through the aviation security training programme. To maintain and enhance the quality of service offered to the client, and meet the ever-exacting standards demanded by the industry, we firmly believe that this training must be supplemented with courses in other disciplines – such as dealing properly and efficiently with customers, verifying visas and related travel documentation and using appropriate apprehension techniques.

Ultimately, aviation security companies must avoid their services becoming a mere commodity for the end user. It must be a security function that's highly valued because of the depth of knowledge and experience possessed by its practitioners. Only through aviation security providers collectively positioning themselves as expert suppliers of specialist services will this aim be realised.

If managers in the aviation security sector communicate their specialist skills and expertise, their companies stand a real chance of growing alongside the aviation sector.