PASAY CITY, May 20 — The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in Manila screened passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) this week as part of an international campaign against illegal trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials.
The exercise, dubbed Operation Conduit, involved the use of specialized portable radiation detection equipment of the Interpol placed at passenger movement areas at Terminal 3 – including the screening checkpoints and the immigration area.
These devices trigger an alarm if passers-by are positive of radioactive material.
A mobile facial recognition system was also set up that identifies people involved in nuclear trafficking or with cases recorded in the Interpol database.
The said screening of passengers and baggage took place from May 17 to 18 led by the Radiological Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Unit of the Interpol.
Results of the operation showed that no baggage or passenger was found to be with radioactive material during the conduct of the exercise.
Training was also provided to local enforcement agencies involved in airport operations on nuclear trafficking and coordination procedures in such cases.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado thanks the Interpol for forging collaborations that strengthen border control at primary gateways of the country.
“More than ever, we are hastily transitioning to a world in which international borders are becoming less and less defined. In such a world, too, are rogue elements ready to take their chance at illegally transporting their resources. It is, therefore, the responsibility of local enforcers to see to it that our borders are protected. I thank the Interpol for stressing its importance through this collaboration,” Honrado says.
Meanwhile, a debriefing session is being held today to lay down procedures for continued coordination among local enforcement agencies and with the Interpol.
Among others, involved agencies are the MIAA, Philippine National Police, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Office for Transportation Security, Bureau of Quarantine, Bureau of Customs, and the Bureau of Immigration. (MIAA)
