JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli airport security officials will host a delegation of British counterterrorism and aviation personnel next month seeking to tighten the security systems at London's Heathrow Airport.
With the spate of terror attacks against passenger planes over the past several months and the Islamic State increasing its threats, British personnel want to study Israel's layered security system, which has kept the airport safe for decades.
The British are calling their new initiative "ring of steel." One added security measure will include more plainclothes officers interspersed among airport personnel from baggage handlers to maintenance staff.
Airport staff will be trained in profiling. It's a method some critics call "racist," but when the overriding goal is everyone's safety, most passengers don't complain. When profiling, security personnel screening passengers are friendly, courteous, and efficient but at the same time, they're sensitive to body language and watch for suspicious behavior that may need closer scrutiny.
Britain's The Times quoted one Israeli official as saying "There's a lot to improve in many airports in Europe."
In January 2011, just four months after the infamous 9/11 attacks, former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport to learn from one of the world's most respected airport security officials. Now the Brits are following suit.
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