Stricter checks, monitoring among the actions taken
By Karamjit Kaur, The Straits Times, 25 Mar 2014
By Karamjit Kaur, The Straits Times, 25 Mar 2014
CHANGI Airport has stepped up security checks since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 more than two weeks ago.
The heightened security is a "precautionary measure", the Singapore Police Force and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) said yesterday.
Airport Police commander Sam Tee, who briefed reporters on the security procedures at Changi Airport, said that measures have been reviewed in the wake of MH370's disappearance.
On March 8, the Malaysia Airlines flight vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The twin-aisle Boeing 777-200ER plane has yet to be found, but the authorities have confirmed that at least two Iranian passengers boarded the jet with stolen passports.
At Changi, the police have "enhanced some of the checks" and there is also a "stronger ground presence", Mr Tee said. For example, travellers' identities now come under closer scrutiny, he added, without elaborating.
Singapore is one of the few countries that check visitor passports against Interpol's database of lost or stolen travel documents.
If a passport is found to be one of more than 40 million on the global police agency's list, the immigration officer at the counter is automatically alerted and the traveller pulled aside for further checks.
The Straits Times understands that in the last two weeks, selected flights - based on risk assessment - have been subjected to tighter screening. This includes more thorough checks like pat downs for departing passengers.Several airlines also said that a briefing was held recently to remind everyone to stay vigilant.
On top of the stepped-up measures, the Airport Police conducts daily security checks and monitors the premises using cameras that are installed airport-wide.
The airport's facade has been strengthened in recent years to protect the terminals from outside explosions.
At Changi, all departing bags originating in Singapore and bags transferred from one aircraft to another are put through a five-level screening system.
Mr Paul Yap, who was the head of aviation security at Changi Airport before leaving in 2006 to lead Temasek Polytechnic's aviation department, said risk management is key.
"At the end of the day, there is a cost to everything. You can have all the checks but you also need to look at the impact on Changi's efficiency, for example," he said.
To balance between passenger convenience and the need to ensure security, the Airport Police adopts a "whole-of-government" approach and works closely with relevant agencies, including Changi Airport Group and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Mr Tee said. "Over-security or under-security is equally sinful and we should not go to the end of each spectrum," he said.
"Risk management is about making sure we have good information on what has happened, we have good intelligence and an understanding of some of the facilitation issues that we will face, and then we work together as a team," Mr Tee added.
The ultimate objective is to secure the airport "without causing severe inconvenience or disruptions to airport operations", he said.
With more stringent checks in the wake of MH370's disappearance, Mr Tee said: "The police and ICA are monitoring the security thrust situation closely. We appreciate the understanding and patience from travellers as we conduct the various security checks to ensure safe and secure travel."
Passport checks here tap Interpol database
S'pore is one of 70 nations that cross-check agency's stolen, lost passport data
By Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 27 Mar 2014
S'pore is one of 70 nations that cross-check agency's stolen, lost passport data
By Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 27 Mar 2014
SINGAPORE is one of about 70 member states of Interpol that conduct border checks by cross-checking against the global police agency's database of stolen and lost travel documents.
Most of Interpol's 190 member countries do not do so, however, and this has to be improved, an Interpol official told reporters here.
If more countries got onboard with integrated cross-checking of border information, it would be easier to avoid cases such as that of the two Iranians who illegally boarded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said Ms Julia Viedma, Interpol director of international partnerships and development unit.
"These kinds of events show the importance of enhancing border security… and the importance of having the technology accessible to all law-enforcement and all immigration officers to be able to cross-check all bio-data," she said at a press conference yesterday.
The database has information on more than 40 million passports in its logs - 167 countries have reported information on stolen or lost travel documents to it.
More than 800 million searches were run on the database last year, resulting in 67,000 positive hits.
"So 67,000 times in 2013, a passport that was not accredited as good, that maybe had been used in a fraudulent way, was detected in the world, thanks to this cross-checking of information," said Ms Viedma, who joined Interpol in 1998 after a decade in the Spanish National Police.
Having managed seven Interpol regional bureaus in Africa, Asia and America, Ms Viedma is well-positioned in her current role leading the transition support office that is setting up the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore.
This is being built to complement Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, France, and to enhance its presence in Asia. Singapore was chosen in part because of its solid law enforcement infrastructure, said Ms Viedma.
"We get great support from the Singapore Government," she said, adding that the authorities are providing funds, technology, expertise and staff. These include Singapore Police Force officers, who will be in "all the different areas of expertise in the building".
For the complex, Interpol is also recruiting national police and law-enforcement officers from member states and hiring from the private sector, primarily in the area of cyber-security, the breaches of which are seen as a growing threat.
The Interpol complex will be at Napier Road and is expected to open in April next year. It will have about 300 staff focusing on cyber-security, capacity building and training, as well as operational and investigative support.
Singapore's cooperation with Interpol will be further strengthened through a new international summit on global security called Interpol World, said Ms Viedma.
The inaugural edition will be held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre from April 14 to 16 next year, a day after the opening of the global complex.
Supported by Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs, the event will connect governments and national security agencies with private security firms to explore technologies and solutions to address global security needs.