Revealing scanner in service at Heathrow

A new security scanner at London Heathrow has caught the attention of more than the people operating it. The device, developed in the USA, has gone into service at Terminal 4 and has surprised security staff with clarity of its images. The low-intensity radiation penetrates a passenger’s clothing and produces an anatomically detailed naked image of the person on the screen.

The Rapiscan Secure 1000 operates by scanning the subject with a narrow beam of X-rays. Some of these X-rays are reflected by the body as “backscatter” in the opposite direction and gathered by sensitive X-ray detectors that compile a viewable image on a screen.

The body scanner technology is set to be rolled out in all British airports in the campaign to prevent terrorists getting on board planes with weapons or other dangerous items.

“The Secure 1000 is a cutting-edge security and detection product, providing comprehensive and thorough body searches in seconds, without the need for hands-on body searches by security personnel,” says a Rapiscan company statement. “In addition to metallic items, the Secure 1000 is able to detect such items as dynamite, C-4, ceramics, graphite fibers, plastic, packaged narcotics, bundled currency and even wooden objects.”

The graphic nature of the image registered in scanner has raised concerns about privacy among civil rights groups and airport officials. The civil rights group Liberty called the images unjustified and intrusive, and insisted that the airport should prove that current X-ray scanner technology was inadequate. “We obviously do not object to taking security measures, but I remain totally unconvinced that it is necessary,” a spokesman said. “It’s an obvious invasion of people’s privacy — it’s a voyeur’s charter.”

A spokeswoman for the British Airport Authority at Heathrow said 98 percent of participants gave positive feedback. Passengers are invited to go through the body scanner on a voluntary basis as an alternative to undergoing a physical touch search. Bryan Allman, the project manager for Rapiscan’s body scanner, said some travelers may prefer the machine over current inspection methods. “I fly like everyone else,” he says. “And I don’t enjoy being hand frisked at airports. This is much less intrusive in my opinion, because nobody touches you.”

In America, the FAA and US Transportation Security Administration have held trials of the body scanner in Orlando, but airport officials are reluctant to deploy the technology until the device is refined to mask passengers’ modesty. No such inhibitions apply in London and the body scanner has now gone into full service after completing a trial period at Heathrow. The technology has also been sold to Canada.

BAA managers say most passengers prefer it to intrusive physical hand searches, and the graphic images are not stored or seen by anyone other than the security officer operating the machine.

A spokeswoman at Heathrow played down any issues of embarrassment that might be caused by the body scanner. “It’s a very low dose X-ray, the images are not stored, it’s same sex operated and the operator that sees the image will not see the person,” said the airport spokeswoman. “There will not be a situation that could cause embarrassment,” she added.

By David Browne
LONDON (eTurboNews)

November 30, 2004   Posted in: England