How profiling is used in airports around the world

PASSENGER profiling is surrounded by controversy, but is used in varying forms at airports around the world.

British airports operator BAA says selection of those singled out for questioning is “completely random”, but other countries use profiling to cope with the sheer number of people passing through security checks.

Staff are trained to spot those fitting criminal profiles ranging from drug-runners and illegal immigrants to terrorists.

And travellers at an increasing number of international airports are now also watched by staff who can recognise suspicious or anxious behaviour.

The new techniques, on trial in the US since the 9/11 attacks, run alongside the established but controversial checks that flag up those on passenger watch lists.

Earlier this year, Time magazine reported that the Spot programme — or Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques — had been a success during a three-year trial at busy airports in the US.

Spot does not use racial or ethnic factors as criteria, unlike the Israeli airline El Al which has a policy of singling out young Arabs for extensive search procedures.

The airline is quick to point out that it has not had a hijacking in over 30 years, in spite of ongoing war in the Middle East.

However, human rights groups have criticised methods which use gender, age, ethnicity and appearance to pick out high-risk passengers.