Twenty proud security personnel representing 17 airports in 13 Family Islands received Train the Trainer certification at the closing ceremony of the five-day “Excellence in Screening Techniques Course,” held January 21-25 at the SuperClubs Breezes Resort.
Course graduates represented Family Island airports in Mangrove Cay, Andros; Georgetown, Exuma; New Bight, Cat Island; Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera; Marsh Harbour, Abaco; Bimini; The Berry Islands; North Eleuthera; Inagua; Rock Sound, Eleuthera; Stella Maris, Long Island; Treasure Cay, Abaco; Fresh Creek, Andros; Freeport, Grand Bahama and San Salvador. Director of Civil Aviation Captain Patrick L. Rolle explained that this training course met all of its objectives with an emphasis on the customer service side of airport security.
He expressed his expectation that this level and quality of training will continue and that Bahamian security specialists would consistently meet and exceed international security standards and service delivery. “I believe all of our goals were accomplished and met for the week that our staff were here. Excellence in screening is important to us because the customer service side of our business is not recognised or adhered to. What we will see at the end of the day is a group of persons who have developed a passion for service,” he said.
Capt. Rolle went further and acknowledged that “the post is being moved on a daily basis as it relates to security and our initiatives are to ensure that as the post is moved, not only are we moving with the post but we must move ahead of the post to ensure that all of the systems we need to have in place, they are in place and our people are trained and capable of meeting those objectives.” Training specialists from the United States Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) provided instructional and practical training in airport screening techniques such as the Security Awareness; Physical Search of both passengers and properties; X-Ray Operations; the operation of Walk-through and Hand-Held Metal Detectors; Special Screening and Explosive Trace Detection.
Mr. Andrew Bonaby, Airport Security Manager in the Department of Civil Aviation, expressed satisfaction that the Ministry of Transport is well on its way to bringing the level and quality of security at all Family Island airports in line with those of New Providence and Grand Bahama. “The aim of (the training) is to ensure that all the airports where we serve commercial airlines - the screening is conducted at the same level as LPIA (Lynden Pindling International Airport) and Freeport with consistency in the screening process. Mr. Bonaby said that these newly certified Security Specialists are returning to their stations in the Family Islands to train other security staff to ensure that all passengers travelling through those airports arrive safely at their destinations.
The five-day training course was hosted by the Department of Civil Aviation in conjunction with the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) and the United States Transportation and Security Administration (TSA).
Standing in the front row from left are Lorraine Armbrister, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Aviation; Yvette Treco of the local Organization of American States office (OAS); Shevaun Culmer, Program Manager-Organization of American States (OAS)/Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE); the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin, Minister of Transport and Aviation; the Hon. Hope Strachan, Minister of State for Transport and Aviation and Albert Razick of the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Standing in the back row from left are Andrew Bonaby, Director of Security in the Department of Civil Aviation; Captain Patrick Rolle, Director of the Department of Civil Aviation and Wendell Carey, Aviation Security Inspector.
