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Heathrow's new scanners 'not good enough to detect plastics'
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor4 Jan 2010
Ministers were today warned that new body scanners to be deployed at Heathrow Airport might fail to detect many of the explosive devices used by al Qaeda.
The scanners, which cost £100,000 each, are to be introduced within weeks after Gordon Brown said they were "essential" for tackling the terrorist threat in the wake of the failed Christmas Day attack. But today a Tory MP and former security expert warned that the devices would be unlikely to have detected the substances used in either the Detroit attack or the failed liquid bomb plot at Heathrow in 2006.
Ben Wallace, who was involved in testing the technology in his job with defence firm Qinetiq, said the "passive millimetre wave scanners" would also probably not have detected the explosives in the 7/7 London bombings.
"It was unlikely that it would have picked up the current explosive devices being used by al Qaeda," he said. "It probably wouldn't have picked up the Detroit Delta Airlines bomb on Christmas Day.
"It wasn't that easy to detect liquids and plastics unless they were very solid plastics. This is not necessarily the big silver bullet that is somehow being portrayed by Downing Street."
British Airports Authority says the new scanners will be operating "as soon as practical" and will help to "build a more robust defence" against the terrorist threat.
Reader views (4)
In summary: it won't work, they've been told it won't work, it'll cause us massive inconvenience, and it'll cost us a fortune.
Kind of sums up this government, doesn't it?
- Nigel, London, 04/01/2010 17:20
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By far the most effective defense is the ability of authorities to trust and act on intelligence from the whole international community. Instead, we get pointless post event knee jerks like this that affects everyone and those with the will to commit these acts can bypass with relative ease.
- Hansel, London, 04/01/2010 14:17
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When these were trialled at Heathrow they were slow and involved changing position 3 times. I am not clear why air analyser machines (like the CNN tower in Canada) are not used, these blow air at you and then analyse the results for explosives and are quick.
A rule should be introduced that all Government ministers using VIP facilities are made to stand in a corner when leaving and entering the UK for a time equal to the average security and passport delay. That way they may think before kneejerk reactions and have time to reflect on the delays that everyone else suffers.
- David, London, UK, 04/01/2010 11:24
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Oh dear, was Crash struggling for ways to get Britain plc even more into debt this month? Yet more spending which has been shown to be ineffective before it's even been implemented. Where are we now ... about 120 days before election day? I CANNOT wait.
- Marianne, SW France/London, 04/01/2010 11:22
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