A fractured reaction to the Christmas bomber

摘要

The attempted suicide bomb on the Christmas Day Delta flight 253 heading for Detroit has prompted a long overdue assessment of the UK's security preparedness. Following the airport's failure to detect the explosive material, concealed under Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's clothing, the government has made a number of reassuring pronouncements, and full-body scanners have been swiftly placed on order. Given my background in the British army and at defence research company Qinetiq, I have first-hand experience of working with this technology. While these scanners have been presented as a panacea for securing our borders, the emphasis is in my opinion, misplaced.