Security system at small airports ‘up to standard’

AN INTERNAL Customs review of security at the country’s smaller airports has endorsed the system being used.

The review was set up after a plane based at Weston aerodrome in Co Kildare was impounded by police in Belgium last September following the seizure of up to 50kg of heroin at an airfield there.

Setting up the review, Finance Minister Brian Cowen said it was of “major concern” to Revenue that the plane had flown out from, and was based at, Weston aerodrome.

The review found that the security system used by Customs at licensed aerodromes, such as Weston, was sound and met the best standards internationally.

The system is known as a “risk-based” approach and operates on the level of risk which Customs experts believe exists.

The risk is established from information and intelligence on drug smuggling routes. “The single most important finding of the review was that the risk-based approach was the best approach and is benchmarked (internationally),” said Phonsey Croke of Customs.

He said that because of the EU single market, Customs couldn’t stop travellers from within the EU except on grounds of suspicion, which was normally based on specific intelligence.

He said Customs had a permanent presence at Dublin airport and a “significant presence” at Shannon and Cork.

The service has “mobile units” to cover other airports, including regional airports at Knock, Waterford, Galway, Knock, Kerry, Sligo and Donegal.

Customs figures show seven drug seizures were carried out at Waterford in the last three years. The seizures were small, totalling 80g and valued at €300.

There were eight seizures at Knock in 2006. These totalled just 50g with a value of €100. There was one seizure at Galway, of 3g and worth €30. There were no seizures at the other airports.

There is an airport on each of the three Aran islands, and another in Connemara, none of which have international flights. The remaining airfields are mainly grass strips used for flight instruction and aerial photography.

Mr Croke said Customs inspection would increase where traffic into airports rises.

He said traffic levels were up significantly at Knock and Galway and less so at Kerry and Waterford.