Full-body scanners to beef up security

The image produced by the scaner. Pictures courtesy of Manchester Airport.

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Rochdale residents could be among the first people in the country to use full-body security scanners when they travel abroad.

For the controversial X-ray scanners will come to Manchester Airport before anywhere else if the government decides they are to be compulsory following the Christmas Day underpants bomb plot.

Bosses at the airport have taken an option to buy 19 of the £80,000 machines from Surrey-based Rapiscan, which was already trialling one at the airport before Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab failed in his bid to blow up a transatlantic jet over America last month.

Manchester Airport’s head of customer experience, Sarah Barrett, said: “Following renewed concerns about security, we have found that people are welcoming the extra measures.

“We would need between 16 and 19 scanners and we are working with the suppliers to make sure we are the first in the queue. We have no timetable but we imagine there would be a quick turnaround.”

Until the Detroit drama, Rapiscan was looking to do no more than replace the familiar “pat down” searches and remove the need to remove coats, jackets, shoes and belts.

But the new addition to the terrorists’ armoury brought the imaging technology — which works by bouncing X-rays off an individual’s skin to produce an outline image of the body — into its own.

The image is transmitted to a remote security officer who has no contact with the subject.

“Our passengers tell us that they don’t like being patted down by security staff at airports but they understand that it’s a necessary part of keeping them safe”, said Ms Barrett.

“Imaging technology offers a potential alternative but we know that some people see it as controversial. That’s why we’re running a trial.

“We’re being completely open about how imaging technology works so that passengers can tell us whether it is an acceptable alternative.

“The process is entirely anonymous. We can assure the public that contrary to popular misconception, imaging technology does not allow security staff to see passengers naked.

“The image produced is a black and white, ghostlike outline of an individual’s body without any distinguishing features such as hair or facial features, making it impossible to recognise people but simple to detect concealed threats.”

Images are transmitted to a standalone computer where they cannot be stored or captured after the passenger has passed through the imaging technology.

Before reaching the security search area, trained airport security officers will give passengers all the information about imaging technology before offering them a chance to participate in the trial.

Those taking part will also go through the traditional metal detector and “pat down” search.

The voluntary trial has been designed with multiple privacy safeguards. The scanning equipment has been checked by radiation protection advisers from the Health Protection Agency.