Another incident from the DHL training session.
I saw the original CCTV footage of this. The guy was so nervous when he brought the package into the Centre, he almost had terrorist stamped on his head and bomb written on the package. Another reason why virtually the whole of UPS's X-Ray capability was closed down. When we did the training in Centre we were accountable, they were our staff that we were training. When the training was centralised it just became a numbers game. Plus, security still had their original work to do as well.
From the BBC Website - 30 March 2011
An investigation has been launched into how a fake bomb was put on a cargo plane and flown from the UK to Turkey without being detected. The UPS flight travelled to Istanbul with the package, reportedly containing a timer, wires and a detonator. The UK Department for Transport said it was taking the matter "very seriously". A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of making a bomb hoax was detained on 23 March but later bailed to return to a north London police station in May. Police stressed the incident was not terrorist-related. A Turkish man had delivered the package, disguised as a wedding cake box, to a UPS office in Camden, north London, a fortnight ago, according to ITV News. A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We have already begun an investigation which will look at all aspects of this incident, including UPS's procedures. "The UK has one of the toughest security regimes for air cargo in the world. All security measures are subject to continuous review."
Ink cartridge bomb
A UPS spokeswoman said: "Two weeks ago, a suspicious package travelled within the UPS network aboard an all-cargo aircraft from the United Kingdom to Istanbul, Turkey.
"UPS is co-operating with the UK Department for Transport's investigation of the incident. UPS has a multiple-layered approach to ensure security."
Details of which UK airport the flight took off from have not been released at this stage. (
See below) Last October a bomb disguised as an ink cartridge was found on a UPS cargo plane at E
ast Midlands Airport.
It had been timed to detonate over the eastern seaboard of the US, police later said. The bomb, and another found in Dubai, contained at least 300g of the explosive PETN.
BBC
home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said he understood one line of inquiry is that the incident was linked to a family feud.
And from the Telegraph
Fake bomb on plane from Britain exposes security flaws
A fake bomb was carried on board a cargo plane from Britain, exposing security lapses five months after two real bombs which were found on cargo planes in Leicestershire and Dubai last year.
By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent
The hoax device evaded detection after it was delivered to UPS in Camden, North London two weeks ago.
It consisted of a wedding cake box with a timer, wires and a detonator, but was not discovered until the cargo plane arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, ITV News reported. Cargo screening procedures across the world are supposed to have been tightened since the incident in which two bombs disguised as printers were sent to the US by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP) based in Yemen last October. Much air cargo travels on passenger planes, increasing the risks from poor security. A spokesman at the Department for Transport said they were aware of the incident and took it very seriously. “We have already begun an investigation which will look at all aspects of this incident, including UPS’s procedures,” the spokesman said.
“The UK has one of the toughest security regimes for air cargo in the world. All security measures are subject to continuous review.” UPS said: "Two weeks ago, a suspicious package travelled in the UPS network aboard an all-cargo aircraft from the United Kingdom to Istanbul, Turkey. “UPS is cooperating with the British Department for Transport’s investigation of the incident. “
The company said it had a “multi-layered approach” to ensure security and that procedures were designed to protect staff, aircraft and customers’ shipments.
(Multi-layered? Cost cutting, cutting costs, & reduced training to save money)
In a report due out on Wednesday, Tobias Feakin of the Royal United Services Institute will say that more needs to be done to improve airline security. The report says: “Something that terrorists have consistently demonstrated is an understanding of where these weakest links (Cue Anne Robinson.) exist and an ability to exploit them. “It is vital that global efforts are supported to eradicate these weak links in the chain. There needs to be a more concerted focus on understanding and tackling inbound threats and building resources and security capacity in the countries of greatest concern.” The Metropolitan Police said a 26-year-old man was arrested at his home address on March 23 on suspicion of making a bomb hoax. He was taken to a north London police station and later bailed to return on a date in May. The spokesman said the hoax was not related to terrorism and added: “A search was undertaken at an address in north London in connection with this inquiry and is now complete.”
And from CNBC
UK Blocks UPS Sites Over Security
Published: Friday, 17 Jun 2011 | 10:43 AM ET
Shipping company UPS has been barred from moving air cargo through some U.K. facilities because of security deficiencies, the British government said Friday.
The Department for Transport disclosed the action but gave no information on the security issues and didn't identify the locations involved. (it would have been easier to name the few that were left open). "Following careful consideration, the department has restricted the number of sites in the U.K. at which UPS are permitted to screen air cargo until it has satisfied current security requirements," it said in a statement. The department said it could not give any details of the sites for security reasons. UPS told customers Friday that shipments from Britain were being delayed. It said "areas of concern" were found during a government review of "UPS procedures and employment documentation related to security." (Severe lack of 5 year checks and the relevant paperwork) "Some facilities have been temporarily taken offline, which in some cases has led to delays in the movement of packages," UPS told the BBC. "UPS has activated contingency plans, communicated with customers and expects service levels to return to normal early next week." No other air freight companies were mentioned in the U.K. government statement. The vulnerability of air cargo to terrorist attacks is a major worry for international security agencies.
Philip Baum, editor of Aviation Security International, said that since the toner cartridge plot "there has been a greater focus on air cargo security regimes, but that does not mean a great deal has changed."
But he said the UPS restrictions should be seen as positive. "It means that problems have been found and are being rectified," he said. (or not, said a UPS representative)
