OTS scores in anti-terrorism airport screening operations

The Office for Transportation Security (OTS) has submitted its Anti-Terrorism Accomplishment Report for 2012 and for the first semester of 2013 as a requirement of the Anti-Terrorism Council-Program Management Center (ATC-PMC).

In its 2012 report, the OTS disclosed that security screening at the airports resulted in the seizure of 8,014 security risk items (SRIs), comprising of 4,240 live bullets, and 2,012 sharp/bladed items.

Based on the report, a number of these SRIs were strategically placed and concealed in common luggage items to deceive security screening officers (SSO).

Instances where sharp/bladed objects were disguised as seemingly 'innocent' items failed to deceive the SSOs' acumen since they are adept at seeing beyond the ordinary to ensure that no prohibited items are brought on board.

The report added that a knife concealed as a card, sandwiched between several credit cards, was confiscated from an outbound passenger's wallet. Likewise, a dagger, measuring several inches in length and disguised as a hairbrush, was discovered in a carry-on baggage.

In another case, a knife fashioned as a belt buckle was also skillfully detected and confiscated by the SSOs from a passenger.

In the first half of 2013, OTS recorded the confiscation of 3,126 SRIs, which include 1,060 live ammunition and 503 sharp/bladed items, recovered from various airports all over the country.

Hence, with proper correspondence and guidance from the ATC-PMC, the OTS complied with the accomplishments set forth by the former to further the continued fusion of intelligence and coordination of efforts by all government agencies and entities involved in the Anti-Terrorism Council.

With these compliance, attainment of the council's objectives will not only be achievable, but will be easily sustainable in the near future.

The OTS, designated single authority responsible for securing the transportation system in the country, is under the Department of Transportation and Communications led by Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. (PNA)