New full body scanners ‘don’t work’
02.01.10
The explosive device smuggled in the pants of the Detroit bomb suspect would not have been detected by full body scanners set to be introduced in British airports, the Independent reports that an expert on the technology warned last night. The newspaper says that the claim severely undermines Gordon Brown's focus on hi-tech scanners for airline passengers as part of his review into airport security after the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day.
The Independent on Sunday says that it has heard 'authoritative claims' that officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Home Office have already tested the scanners and were not persuaded that they would work comprehensively against terrorist threats to aviation. It says that the claims have triggered concern that the Prime Minister is over-playing the benefits of the scanners to give the impression he is taking tough action on terrorism.
Experts in the US also said that airport ‘pat-downs’ – a method used in hundreds of airports worldwide – were ineffective and would not have stopped the suspect boarding the plane.
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