THE EDITOR, Sir:
PLEASE PERMIT me space to comment on your lead story published in your issue of December 30, regarding the new requirement that armed air marshals be placed on all flights into the United States.
One wonders from where these persons will be recruited and in what fashion they will be trained, considering that security measures on the ground and in the air are vastly different, and the rules of engagement to be employed being likewise only distantly related.
That being said, terrorists who may have been finding it increasingly difficult to smuggle a weapon on board an aircraft will now have the much simpler task of getting the weapon, which is admittedly already on board. Considering the limited number of persons available for such specialised training, will it not be common knowledge after a short period of time exactly who these armed air marshalls are? Even if the proponents of such a ridiculous policy argue against this, how difficult would it be to create a simple diversion to identify this individual after which, with the help of some of your cronies, you set about disarming same and using the very gun allowed on board for protective purposes for destructive ones?
The fact is that guns and planes just do not mix. Whilst the idea in theory may appear to be a good one, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security must remember that not every country has specialised teams of Navy Seals to place on each and every flight! This policy appears to be yet another hastily drafted one, not properly thought out, which will do little to address the real issue at hand whilst giving airlines further justification to increase their fares.
Having just travelled through two of the world's larger airports, with both being on a supposedly heightened state of alert and readiness, I can say without hesitation that there is much that needs to be done to improve security on the ground, namely with the increased training and awareness of the security personnel present. It seems only logical that preventing weapons from getting onto planes should be where the emphasis remains as having weapons legally brought onto passenger aircraft will undoubtedly open up an entirely different can of worms!
I am, etc.,
JOHN P. AZAR
Managing Director
King Alarm Systems Ltd.
1 Caledonia Avenue
Kingston 5.
