Strict airport security is of paramount importance for the country and the economy

Since the cataclysmic events of 9/11, airport security across the world has tightened. In South Africa, one is not permitted to carry any liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) in containers with a volume larger than 100 millilitres, and which must be carefully and properly insulated and protected from ignition, among other seemingly strange requirements. As with LAGs, any sharp instruments such as syringes, tweezers, scissors or knives are prohibited in one’s hand luggage, as a combination of LAGs and sharp implements could be used to create bombs or be used to harm passengers and flight cabin staff.

For those with health requirements or babies on board, a letter from one’s general practitioner is required before given permission to board. Post 9/11, South Africans welcomed the security measures. The general social psyche was shaken up. No one thought that people with extreme beliefs would ever venture to harm a nation as strong and as big as America, yet it reminded us how vulnerable we all are, if we are negligent in our vigilance.

However, as technology increases to prohibit these objects from getting onto an aeroplane, criminals have found other ways to smuggle in the ‘contraband of war’.

Therefore, technology will forever be improving to ensure as little as possible gets on board an aeroplane. The South African government’s expenditure on national security for 2011 was increased to R1.3 billion, and now totals R38.4bn. It was only increased once Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu made clear her disappointment at how low the initial budget allocation had taken.

Interestingly, Teri Takai, the United States Department of Defense’s new chief information officer, said in April this year that a smaller budget tends to get the job done better than having more money: “It’s actually sometimes easier to make hard decisions when budgets are shrinking because you don’t have the luxury of letting everybody do everything that they always want to do.

“If you talk about enterprise-wide approaches and standardisation and consolidation when there’s lots of money, you will get no audience. Because everybody has plenty of money to do exactly what they want to do.”

According to the allocated budget for South Africa, more than 40% is dedicated to enterprise infrastructure as well as military services.

With the Airports Company South Africa’s budget of the past few years leading up to, during and after the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup, all involved in airport security pulled together and provided world-class services to all our visitors.

A greater number of security personnel, larger and better X-ray machines, scanners, paddle scanners and security staff adorned in bright yellow and orange bibs were obvious additions to increase security at airports.

However, from all the research conducted on budget spend, and information on new technological advances in security, it seems there is not much to be said. Should we be concerned that security at airports does not seem to be that important an issue to warrant a larger budget allocation? Perhaps, for now, we are meant to be satisfied that these scanners and X-ray machines are sufficient to deter criminals.

It is times like these when lackadaisical behaviour will put South Africa at risk; when, instead, more money should be spent on securing ourselves and our country.

Tracee Harvard