Body scanners “should be rolled out more widely at UK airports”

Secretary of State for Transport Justine Greening said that body scanning will remain compulsory for those passengers selected to undergo it, but added that in future images will be reviewed by machines rather than humans. In a written statement Greening said that “we intend to deploy security scanners in the future”, despite a recent ruling from the European Commission that further tests are necessary to determine the safety of x-ray body scanners (see online news November 17). The Commission has called for “further expert consideration of the potential health risks from security scanners”, and Greening said that she “will consider it carefully before making decisions about which technologies should be deployed at UK airports in future”. Greening also said that she was “aware that the proposals recently agreed by the European Parliament include the right for passengers to request an opt out from scanning”, but said that “Given the security arguments against permitting such an opt-out, and the threat level that exists in the UK, the Government intends to use its powers under the Aviation Security Act to maintain the current position. Those passengers selected for scanning will therefore not be able to fly if they are not willing to be scanned.” She said that she did not believe “that a 'pat down' search is equivalent in security terms to a security scan”, and added that full private searches are “likely to represent a greater intrusion of privacy than a security scan”, as well as proving “operationally disruptive to airports and other passengers”. Greening said that “The overwhelming feedback from airports is that nearly all passengers accept the use of security scanners and find the process quick and convenient”, with only 12 passenger refusals from over one million scans, and added that "in principle" security scanners should be rolled out more widely at UK airports. The Secretary of State for Transport also said that software which automatically analyses images “is currently in development”, meaning that in future “images will no longer be seen by human reviewers”. To read Greening’s statement in full, click here. Report by Mark Caswell