Serious About Security

Over the coming weeks and months,BALPA will be working to raise the pressure on Security and we will be using every tool available to us to do that.

We have major concerns over how the current Security practices affect the day to day lives of our members.

BALPA members have told us there is a problem.

We need to sort it out!

We need to demonstrate that we are:

SERIOUS about making sure the security of UK airports is the most effective in
the world.

SERIOUS about putting pilots at the centre of drawing up the security agenda.

SERIOUS about wanting our voices heard.

SERIOUS about wanting to be treated with respect.

SERIOUS about being part of the solution,rather than feeling like a hindrance.

SERIOUS about increasing pressure to change the current practices and,
if necessary.

SERIOUS about calling on our membership to take direct action.

Our campaign will be focused around the following points:

• Pilots are different to passengers – they are central to Aviation security – a process of ‘differentiation’as is being progressed in other states is required to reflect this.The police are different, security operatives are different,politicians, dignitaries and their wives are different (!)

• Items that you can take through security – BALPA pressure has secured
  progress,but still not enough.There is still too much local interpretation and
  still too little logic in some rules – we can understand why a harpoon is banned, but why a teaspoon?
   
• Inconsistency and unpredictability do not have the same effect. The latter may enhance security; the former alienates the key stakeholders and brings the process into disrepute.
   
• Pilots as Security Managers – A valuable and under utilised resource.
   
• The BALPA Security Liaison Rep (SLR) Scheme – A scheme which allows the operational experience and expertise of pilots to be utilised to strengthen security and to enable the settlement of local issues locally,as well as offering a fast track to European and global pilot security groups.
   
• A dedicated RZ (restricted zone) Pass – which is linked and centrally administered along the lines of the EU Crewman’s Certificate. One that will allow RZ access in any UK airport and which avoids the nonsense of multi card passes – a nonsense that the Government’s National ID Card, in its current form, will not prevent.

We start our ‘Serious about Security’ campaign with a factsheet based on Transec
communications which gives the official line on what flightcrew can and cannot take
through Security.This may be useful to keep with you if challenged at Security.

Members ONLY can download the factsheet by using the link below. 

Please remember to let us know every time you have a negative experience at security. The email address is Serious@balpa.org.