Passenger Profiling - A way Forward or not ?

[Marina]

In the wake of these latest plots at Heathrow, Passenger profiling may be introduced based on ethnicity, religion.

I believe that we have no choice but to face it and accept more rigorous checks, although I may not be happy with it. These pseudo-Islamic extremists have made life even more difficult for us who are law abiding citizens. The muslim community leaders have to make a much better effort and work in hand with the police and government to eradicate these evil terrorists.

However, some of those suspects caught did not fit in the right criteria, eg Don Stewart-Whyte, how can one get round it ??

Do any of you have any views on this ?

BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4794975.stm

[Sonne]

My ethnicity would make me a good target for profiling. Am i bothered? No. I was stuck watching Richard and Judy today and a Pair of Asians with opposing views on the issue were talking. One made an excellent point, he said "If i'm stopped for ten minutes becasue of profiling but as a result my plane leave four hours earlier then i'm all for it"

No-one likes to be stopped. But what is 30 mins out of your journey the additional benefit of feeling safer on your flight?

I'm on the positive side of this arguement.

[Frank S.]

I think the profiling will tend to be behavioral, rather than ethnic.

[Sonne]

I think the profiling will tend to be behavioral, rather than ethnic.

The current discussion in the UK seems to point ot a mixture of both.

Sonne

[Marina]

Fair point and it makes sense Frank S .

[Frank S.]

It's probably gonna end up a mixture of both due to the fact behavioral profiling requires experience and skills.
Anybody can spot shades of skin. But how do you read someone who's kissed their arse goodbye and is ready to meet his/her maker with innocent victims in tow?

[Tam527]

It's still not comfortable to know that when you're at an airport , you're maybe being watched all the time because of you're ethnicity, or country of origin.
I don't think it's a way forward, but sometimes needs must for the protection of all.

[Tab]

When the IRA threat was at it's highest who were looking at the Asian Muslims or the Irish. When the threat is coming from the Muslims just who are you going to take the closest look at, and if they don't like then tough.

[Tam527]

Another point the story says is that a trained terrrorist will be well-versed in counter-profiling techniques(behavioural...sorry Frank , or otherwise), but they will also think that they will have already had their 'victory' anyway by having caused so much havoc. Govt bringing in new measures to counter new threats all costs in terms of financial and the fact that it will stretch still further the fragile trust between ethnic communities and 'us'. It's a double-edged sword.

Tam.

[harry hackedoff]

Don`t kid yerselves. Passenger profiling has been around for years. It is a mix of racial/ethnic and behavioural and can be/has been very effective to date.
What I`m in favour of is several absolutely fool-proof methods of I.D. and passenger pre-qualifying away from the airport.
Iris scan plus finger prints plus facial recognition software to prove that I am me. Go to a pre-qualifying centre and have your I.D. verified,days before your journey.
Turn up at airport verify I.D., get on plane go on jollies, easy
Now some would see that as an infringement of their Civil Libertys and of course they may be right.
It`s not as much of an infringement as flying into WTC though, is it?

[going grey!]

A friend of mine is a pilot and he say's that passenger profileing has been going on for years. I can't see the problem with it, but I am a middle aged white man so I probably would not get stopped. The answer must be if you are doing nothing wrong then you have nothing to be afraid off.

Certain types of people commit certain types of crime, mum, dad and the kids going to spain are highly unlikey to blow up the plane, but a single asian muslim guy with a one way ticket to the USA should be looked at.

I am not saying that all single asian muslim men are terroists, but we must remember that it was british born asian muslims that caused the 7/7 bombings, although a true muslim would not have committed those terrible crimes.

If a child went missing in the area which I live and the police stopped me, I would not have a problem, I am single, white, live on my own and am middle aged, I fit the profile of a child molester. However if the police were looking for someone committing cheque fraud, they would probably look at africans before me.

[terryrat]

Well said Harry and Tab I fully agree with your opinions the sooner we get into gear with all this and stop pandering to so called human rights twats: the better it will be for everyone

[Sisyphus]

But in the case of the 7/7 bombings and the latest arrests, everyone of the men would have a full British ID, so how would profiling 'net' them?
Not least because most of them seem to have led 'impeccable' lives beforehand.

There's been some suggestion that some of them were under surveillance but, then, profiling would be unnecessary because they'd already been pinged.

I can see how profiling works for single young women from Jamaica being used as drugs mules but I'm not sure how it would have worked for the current lot who are banged up [well, at least for a week or so until they're all released again ]

[Marina]

Thats a good idea Harry

Do you know which other countries use racial profiles apart from Israel ?

I think also maybe a more reliable and credible network of intelligence operatives are needed to inflitrate these terror cells.

We don't want another fiasco like Forest Gate incident a couple of months ago.

[Daka]

Don`t kid yerselves. Passenger profiling has been around for years. It is a mix of racial/ethnic and behavioural and can be/has been very effective to date.
What I`m in favour of is several absolutely fool-proof methods of I.D. and passenger pre-qualifying away from the airport.
Iris scan plus finger prints plus facial recognition software to prove that I am me. Go to a pre-qualifying centre and have your I.D. verified,days before your journey.
Turn up at airport verify I.D., get on plane go on jollies, easy
Now some would see that as an infringement of their Civil Libertys and of course they may be right.
It`s not as much of an infringement as flying into WTC though, is it?

Im not sure how this would work.

All the bombers (potential or otherwise) that have been encountered in this country have been English haven't they?

If what you said was to happen, the bombers, as british citizens, would have all those measures in place anyway. Just as they would have to go through the same measures to get a passport/driving license etc.

Perhaps I misunderstood you, I'm just not sure how that would stop potential terrorists?