Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Billie Moore: Airports Association chief executive says gangs trafficking drugs from smaller centres is a regularly raised concern

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Billie Moore: Airports Association chief executive says gangs trafficking drugs from smaller centres is a regularly raised concern · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Gang members are apparently using regional flights to traffic drugs
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: around the country, making the most of the lower levels
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: of security at our regional airports. Currently, the security settings
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: mean that flights with fewer than ninety seats or less
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: than ninety seats on board unlikely to go through security screening.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Now the government says they're not going to do much
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: about this. It's a problem for the police. Billy Moore
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: is the and he's out on Airport's Association chief executive
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: and is with us this morning. Good morning, Billy, morning Ryan,
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Thank you for being with me. Is this a big
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: problem for you guys?
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Look, it is a concern that is regularly discussed amongst
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: the airport's airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority, something we're
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: aware of a police consume. But it's important for us
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: to focus on the fact that the purpose of passenger
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: and beaker's screening is for aviation security, and so that
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: means I'm more for interference with aircraft. These issues are
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: about other illegal activities and are a metaphor the police
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: rather than aviation security. So while we talk about this
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: in the context of security at airports, it's operation in
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: some of their issues around some steps that we can take.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Though you're really just more worried about someone bringing a
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: plane down, aren't you, I mean, rather than exactly yeah,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: because because I mean, does it actually matter? I mean,
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: obviously it's not ideal for you, but if the drugs
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: are going to go, they could go on an intercity bus,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: they could go on the back of a car, you
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: know what I mean.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right about that. Look, there are concerns around
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: this in terms of the overall security environment at airports
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: when when things like this are going on. Obviously it's
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: a concern for us because it makes the security environment
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  Speaker 2: more you know, more tense, more and more difficult terms
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: the people around and the things that airports are being
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: used for. But there are steps we can take. For instance,
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: we think that a stronger and more consistent police presence
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: at airports is a really good step forward, and we're
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: trying to engage the civil authority and others on how
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: that could happen. So that's something that we know both
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: airports and airlines would like to see.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: Would you like to see permanent police officers at all
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: regional airports?
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: Not necessarily going that far, but really strong relationships is important.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: So that the police in that area have a great
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: engagement with airport staff, with airline staff, so that that
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: information flow is going, so that they're familiar with, for instance,
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: the airside environment as well. So there's still some steps
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: we can take there that would help this kind of situation.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: All right, Billy, thank you very much for that. This morning,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Billy more of the New Zealand Airports Association Chief Executive.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: For More Familiar edition with Ryan Bridge.
• 2:43
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• 2:44
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• 2:48
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