Security vendetta from the north: Is Canada trying to tell us something?

Lastly, what was the reason for the inconsistency in screening protocols between Quebec and Toronto? If these additional, if not bizarre procedures are deemed for the safety of airplane passengers, then shouldn’t they be employed for all airplane passengers, regardless of where they are traveling?

In trying to secure a plane from a suicide bomber (which is the greatest threat and the reason for screening in the first place), you should look for the bomber, not the bomb. Someone who is about to die usually exhibits behavior which the trained observer can discern. If this behavior is observed, then additional and more intensive screening should then be undertaken. This is the rationale behind the use of the Behavioral Assessment Screening Systems (BASS). This is the system that the Israelis use and they have never had a successful attack

The answer for this strange and inconsistent security might lie in a more insidious message that we are getting from our neighbors to the north. After the Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit, the U.S. security agencies ramped up the security protocols for all U.S. air travel. It lasted a week. As of last Sunday, the additional screening on flights entering the U.S. from Canada continued. Could this be the way of the Canadians pointing out how pointless these extra measures are? Reading the Canadian press over the past few years gives one the impression that though Canadians are just as concerned about their safety as anyone else, they think the U.S. approach is, well, overblown. Is this latest pro forma security meant to annoy rather than deter? In other words, are the Canadians saying to us, “So you want security, fine. We’ll show you security.”?

All this might appear as a simple security dustup, but it underscores the lack of international cooperation to develop a standardized, effective and rational air travel security. As long as we allow these inconsistent policies to persist, we show our enemies that we don’t know what we are doing are we are still vulnerable. The U.S. cannot do this alone. The current aviation security standard for the world was developed through the UN. The fact that a global standard exists is good news, but the bad news is that it provides a false sense of security because it is the lower common denominator of security. BASS screening and advance technologies are not employed consistently or with uniformity. Given al-Qaida’s penchant for attacks on airplanes and the world’s reliance on this mode of travel, we should insist that in order to fly to the U.S., tougher standards be adopted and treaties be enacted to allow security personnel to audit these systems.

What we need to do is to focus less on technology and jobs and more on the human interaction, at multiple stages of the traveling experience. Everyone, from the check in representative at the counter, to the screeners, to the airline personnel should be trained in BASS. The right questions by motivated and trained personnel will take a short time but will add an essential element to the flying passenger’s safety. It will also allow us to stop using systems that cause delays without enhancing security.

Michael Balboni is a principal of Navigators Global. Mr. Balboni joined the firm after a distinguished career in New York state government, spanning 24 years wherein he served in both houses of the State Legislature and served as a cabinet officer for two governors.