Armed airport guards unlikely

Press, 24 January 1986, Page 23

Armed airport guards unlikely

PA Wellington New Zealand’s three international airports are unlikely to deploy heavilyarmed security men. The Ministry of Transport’s controller of Aviation Security, Mr Trevor Joy, said the issue of airport security had been highlighted by recent terrorism at Rome and Vienna airports, and by the introduction of security men armed with submachine guns at London’s Heathrow Airport. Mr Joy said authorities in New Zealand were conscious of the terrorist threat, and regularly assessed the likelihood of terrorist action. “If, however, a terrorist threat was identified at any time, any armed security work of the kind seen overseas would certainly

be done by the police,” he said. Assistant Commissioner Stuart McEwan, head of crime and operations at police headquarters in Wellington, said no thought had been given to armed police security guards at the three international airports. If such squads were needed, they would be the responsibility of the police, he confirmed.

Police staff at the airports already had access to firearms, as did all policemen. “If intelligence suggests that anything is likely to happen or that overseas trends will change, then we would look at the staff deployed at airports and the roles they are deployed in.”