Access security, police presence deal a blow to criminals JOY ORLEK A SPATE of security breaches at Johannesburg International Airport earlier this year has forced the hand of Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) which has put in place a range of hard-hitting measures. “The results have been remarkable,” says Roy Solomons of Express Air Services “The past two weeks have been totally incident free, which is clear evidence of their effectiveness.” Solomons is one of a group of stakeholders who sits on a Community Sector Policing forum for cargo security, and it is largely their and ACOC’s (Air Cargo Operators’ Committee) efforts that have brought about the change. “The issues are not new,” said Solomons, “but it was only when stakeholders took a hard line with Acsa that we started to see results.” These include the opening of a 24-hour police station at the entrance to the cargo section. While the police station has been in operation since May/June this year, it was initially open for business hours only. In July/August extra staff was brought in and the hours were extended. “Night-time operations were identified as the most vulnerable,” says Solomons. “This was when most of the robberies took place and we therefore requested that Acsa impose stricter security access between 19:00 and 06:00. “All visitors, whether they have permits or not, are now required to sign in during this time. They also have to fill in a 'kalamazoo' or access card that must be signed by the company being visited and presented to the guard on exit. “In this way we have a record of the people entering the airport as well as their vehicle registrations.” Solomons put the system to the test when he returned from a business trip late one night last week and was told by the guard to sign the kalamazoo, regardless of his legitimate permit. Acsa has also installed gates at the entrance to the cargo section, and these are closed and controlled by security at night. Adding his vote of confidence to the Acsa initiatives is Paul Volck of Air Care Cargo. “We haven’t been aware of any security breaches recently. The security at the foreign airlines’ section has certainly been improved, especially at night,” Volck told FTW. “From a company perspective, we have recently had sleeves made that cover the containers, and this has certainly helped with small pilfering. In addition we’ve installed video cameras that can be accessed through the internet.” The Acsa measures are long overdue and a good beginning, but much more can and will be done. “Acsa is currently undertaking a traffic flow study in order to address the congestion problem at the gate at certain times. “They are involved with a number of experts and are waiting for their proposals,” said Solomons. Stakeholders are also keen to see the introduction of CCTV surveillance cameras at the foreign airlines' entrance and exit. Further initiatives include linking all warehouses to the police station by means of panic buttons and an intercom system. No dates have been given, but there is optimism that this will happen in the near future.
