World Summit on Counter-Terrorism
ICT's 8th International Conference - September 11, 2008
Challenges Presented by the Increasing Threats to Public Transport Systems
1. Background – Homeland Security and Public Transportation
In recent years, the threats faced by public transportation and mass transit systems have sharply increased. Terrorists have identified these systems as attractive targets for the following main reasons:
- Attacks on public transportation systems hold the promise of being high profile incidents that will potentially inflict a large number of casualties, cause extensive damage and system downtime, and produce panic;
- They are vulnerable targets that can be attacked with relative ease;
- They directly and significantly affect the daily lives of large communities and the economy.
These threats have been translated into actual attacks in Madrid, London, Moscow, Mumbai and other countries, resulting in hundreds of fatalities, thousands of injuries and extensive damage, highlighting the vulnerability of public transportation and mass transit systems.
The new, growing terror threats join existing security concerns that the public transportation industry has been confronting over the years, such as vandalism; criminal activity directed against mass transit workers, passengers, facilities, vehicles and infrastructure; and public disorder.
The public transportation industry presently finds itself in the same predicament as the aviation industry did in the past, when terrorists started targeting commercial airlines and airports. In response, the aviation industry quickly developed and implemented a wide variety of regulations, measures and innovative technological tools. Following the 9/11 terror attacks, it proceeded to invest considerable additional resources to enhance the level of aviation security. In contrast, the public transportation industry has only taken very limited action to protect its passengers, employees, infrastructure and critical facilities, where major gaps still exists in this market, as listed below:
- No comprehensive security concepts for public transportation systems have been developed;
- Only limited regulatory measures and guidelines have been introduced;
- Current solutions are based on existing technologies, lacking integration of manpower, technical and technological elements and procedures;
- No passenger screening technology is being used;
- Most of the available security systems are designed to deal with criminal acts and vandalism, but not with terrorism.
Consequently, public transportation systems remain extremely vulnerable to terrorist activity.
2. The Market Need
Clearly, there is an urgent need for security solutions that will effectively deal with terror threats; however, in order to meet this formidable challenge, the new solutions must be based on a new approach, which takes into account the unique nature of these systems. Simply implementing slightly modified aviation security solutions in the mass transit environment will not produce the required result. Furthermore, the fact that terror groups are becoming increasingly sophisticated and bold emphasizes the need to invest R&D resources and develop new methods and technologies specifically for the public transportation sector, and thus remain one step ahead of the adversary. It is important to note that these solutions must, at the same time, also provide a suitable response to the "traditional" vandalism and criminal threats.
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