Voice of the ECHO: Force to Be Welcomed

SOME observers may consider it regrettable that Liverpool John Lennon Airport is today unveiling its own dedicated police force.

The 10-officer team will provide an around-the-clock service and part of its remit is to work alongside private security firms to address counter-terrorismissues.

Currently, Peel Airports and Merseyside Police each pay for one full-time police officer to work at the airport.

Those Mersey siders who look back with fondness to the days when the airport was little more than a glorified shed, with few flights and passengers, may mistakenly believe that the city has bred a soulless, corporate monster.

But it hasn’t. We have, instead, seen our very own airport turn itself into a so araway success. It now provides us with an exceptional service and choice of destinations.

It is also an exceptionally convenient service. Some 5.5 million passengers used Liverpool JLA last year and it continues to grow and continues to move up the league table of UK airports.

Such a busy airport requires a vast array of support services, to keep it operating smoothly and effectively – and this includes, in this post-9/11 age, a 24-hour dedicated police team.

Indeed, some may argue that the airport could, perhaps should, have unveiled its own police force several years ago.

Passengers, for the most part, immediately accepted that the nature of air travel had to change in the light of the terrorist threat. Security is paramount.

The new police force will provide reassurance for passengers and also serve as a deterrent. It should be welcomed by us all.

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