Preventative measures in aviation security : a profiling approach

Abstract

Security techniques used by aviation authorities have consisted of methods such as the security screening process, where passengers walk through a metal detector. Whilst this method has succeeded on many levels, the means by which threats to aviation present themselves have expanded and methods of enactment have become more elaborate and sophisticated. While the aviation industry has been successful in meeting this challenge, incidents such as September 11 2001 (9/11), would seem to suggest otherwise. To handle these new, covert and much more deadly threats, the International Civil Aviation Organization, along with other regulatory bodies, has investigated and implemented new, more intense, security measures. This thesis investigates one of the emerging avenues of increased aviation security, passenger profiling. The application of passenger profiling techniques is growing within the global aviation industry as it is seen to diminish the risk of threats to an aircraft. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the use of passenger profiling as an approach to aviation security management in Australia and to assess whether or not the travelling public would be accepting of its introduction. This thesis uses a concurrent mixed-method approach incorporating non-experimental, investigative, observational, inductive and deductive methods. The data was gathered through an extensive literature review on existing profiling programmes used globally, as well as emailed surveys. The data was analysed using a thematic approach, assisted by the use of the SPSS 14.0 data analysis software packages. This research indicates that there is a mixed reaction to passenger profiling. Respondents are willing to undergo further security checks. However, concerns over the amount of data and information needed to implement a passenger profiling programme and the potential social implications of the general monitoring of people's movements emerged. Therefore, further research is needed to balance the concerns and issues of passengers with the requirements and obligations of the aviation industry.

Date of Award	2009
Original language	English