Protesters Evade Security at Major International Airport

Security Breach at Heathrow Airport

At 3.30 a.m. on 13th July 2015, 13 demonstrators cut through the airport perimeter fence and chained themselves together on a runway at Heathrow Airport. The ability of protesters to get through a fence and on to the runway has raised security concerns. Nine protesters were arrested on suspicion of Aviation Act offences, police said. Afzal Ashraf, from the defence and security think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said the protesters’ actions raised security concerns.

Their action following the protestors break-in highlights the weakness in airport perimeter security systems to stop intrusions. This is an issue not only at international airports, but at the majority of the UK’s critical national infrastructure sites: power stations, reservoirs, oil and gas plants. Traditional reliance upon physical barriers, security patrols and manned monitoring of CCTV is inadequate to counter the threat from a determined intruder.  In the past, perimeter security served a purpose to demarcate the boundary and secure the assets from theft i.e. to deter someone getting in, stealing something of value and getting out again undetected. The intruder threat is now of an altogether different magnitude. The terrorist isn’t necessarily concerned about detection, the objective is not necessarily to escape without being caught.  Rather, the aim is to cause as much damage or disruption on the inside as possible.  This level of threat requires a different approach to security. The need is for more sophisticated sensor technology.

AdvanceGuard – airport perimeter security systems to stop protesters 

When it comes to wide area and perimeter security you need look no further for the most robust and cost effective solution. The AdvanceGuard™ security surveillance solution combines advanced radar technology, integrated software and CCTV to provide unrivalled threat detection and situational awareness. Navtech Radar have developed the AdvanceGuard security solution to be robust and durable in all likely applications and weather conditions. Using advanced software rules coupled with the specially developed Witness software suite, the very lowest false alarm rates are achieved.

Whilst it is clearly ideal for protecting airfields, the affordability of the Navtech Radar technology means that it has already been deployed in all manner of perimeter protection scenarios including private estate protection, commercial property perimeter surveillance, as well as other critical infrastructure locations.

See article