First-class security at airport
2010-02-23 21:19
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La Mercy - When the new King Shaka International Airport opens its doors on May 1, it will have state-of-the-art security equipment capable of detecting everything from drugs to bombs.
This emerged during an inspection of security measures at the new airport in La Mercy, outside Durban, on Tuesday by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
"This airport will have the best latest security technology," said Airports Company SA general manager of Durban international and national airports Terence Delomoney.
"It will have state-of-the-art X-ray screening machines which will make it easy to detect items that should not be taken through," he said.
Not using old security
The new airport would not use the old security equipment used at the Durban International Airport, he said.
"What will also make the new security more reliable is the fact that there will be proper monitoring which we do not have at the current airport."
Mthethwa said security measures were already in place at the new airport and about 50% more police officers would be deployed there than were stationed at the Durban International Airport.
The new airport was three times bigger than the Durban International Airport and had many access points, he said.
KwaZulu-Natal will use the existing Durban International Airport and the new international airport at La Mercy during the World Cup in June.
Durban International Airport will be decommissioned after the World Cup.
No drug traffickers
Mthethwa said the new airport had a big police station with cells where people caught trafficking drugs and carrying unwanted items would be locked up.
"People who are planning to use this airport to traffic drugs or [commit] any other crimes must know that we are waiting for them," he said.
The inspection was also attended by Thula Bopela, the chairperson of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, which would also be involved in ensuring airport safety through the employment of security guards.
On Tuesday, workers busied themselves making finishing touches to the airport's landscaping. The runways and the airport complex have been completed.
The road linking the airport and the N2 is almost complete and the R102 road to the airport is also under construction.
- SAPA