Airport to ditch ‘naked’ body scannners

CONTROVERSIAL ‘naked’ body scanners are to be axed by Manchester Airport next month, in favour of a new high-tech system.

Although Manchester Airports Group insists there was no risk to users’ health from the old body scanners, it says it has been forced to replace them by EU rules.
 
Chief operating officer Andrew Harrison said: “We’re baffled by this situation because health experts say they are safe plus the overwhelming majority of our passengers and security staff prefer body scanners to frisking and it’s frustrating that Brussels has allowed this successful trial to end.

“Our security surveys and those run by the Department for Transport show passengers regularly rate their experience at Manchester as one of the best security processes in the UK if not Europe.

“There’s no doubt that body scanners play a big part in these results.  That’s why we are once again investing in new next generation scanner technology where the human examination of images is automated.”

Trials on a new generation of privacy friendly security scanners will begin on October 1. Five devices will be deployed, which include a feature which automatically processes images of passengers using a system that eliminates the need for an airport security officer to view the body outlines.
 
The new machines, manufactured by L3, scan passengers using radio frequency-based millimetre wave technology rather than the low dose X-rays. A computer analyses the scans and tells airport staff where to look for hidden objects using a stick figure diagram.

A similar technology is used in safety systems to identify humans or objects that have fallen onto subway rail tracks in the United States.

Airport bosses are hopeful that the trial will be a success so that it can invest in more machines.  In the meantime, an additional 55 full time security staff will ensure that the current high levels of security and customer service are maintained through a combination of frisking and security scanners.