Interpol checks NAIA passengers for radioactive material

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) staged an exercise at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last week, checking if passengers are carrying radioactive materials.

The exercise, dubbed Operation Conduit, took place from May 17 to 18 and involved the use of specialized portable radiation detection equipment placed in passenger movement areas at the NAIA Terminal 3, including screening checkpoints and the immigration area.

These devices give out an alarm if passersby are carrying radioactive material.

The Interpol also set up a mobile facial recognition system that identifies people involved in nuclear trafficking or with cases recorded in the Interpol database.

No passenger was found to be carrying radioactive material during the exercise, which was led by the Interpol’s Radiological Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Unit.

The unit also trained members of local enforcement agencies in airport operations on nuclear trafficking and coordination procedures in such cases.

Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado thanked the Interpol for forging collaborations that strengthen border control at the country’s primary gateways.

“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,” he said.