Abstract
Transportation networks comprise numerous essential systems that ensure the flow of commodities. They are highly valuable, visible, accessible, and have high media attention. Terrorists and criminals have targeted the transportation networks for the past one decade because of their value. The government has a considerable share in the transport system. To protect the transport system from terrorist attack such as that of 2001, the government has invested in the security of carriage. Analysis of measures to improve transportation safety has been done and found to relate to costs of improving safety. The analysis indicates that the benefits of only securing transportation systems are often minimal and pervasive.
Thus, the government should instead ensure the security of entire community. Advantages of transport security have been ignored and expressed in general to the community. An economic structure is used to classify security benefits into different categories. They include terrorism prevention, sovereignty, and prohibition of unlawful activities. The benefits of transport security are said to be either direct or indirect.
Introduction
Transportation networks are vessels through which economic activities take place. The activities range from simple tasks like daily attendance to workplace to complex tasks such as international trade. Transportation networks have high significance to particular economies. Without the transportation systems, most economies would be negatively impacted. People depend on transport services in one way or another, to meet their daily objectives.
For this reason, most criminals and terrorists have the transport network as the perfect target. In addition the government owns and values transport infrastructure. If terrorists want to cripple the government, then an attack on the transportation network is highly valid. Advanced notification, improved inspection, and law enforcement are some of the security programs put in place to prevent terrorist attack on the transport system. Security has been improved global because the transportation network has been found to be a soft spot for terrorist attacks.
This paper is exploratory and focuses mainly on the benefits of safety measures. It provides a few accounts of the potential advantages of transportation safety. The benefits are pervasive than appreciated. The dimensions of transport security are measured through social wellbeing framework. In the end, recommendations are made, on the subject to be researched in order to extend the investigation on transportation security measures.
Literature Review
Inspection programs have been in place for a long time, which include screening of passengers and their luggage before they board a plane or ship. Shipments and cargo are usually screened to detect any weapons or illegal arms and goods (Mastronardi et al., 2014).
Other means to improve security measures have been taking place, but after the September 11 incident, the federal government has struggled to ensure better and continued security in the transportation sector. Documentation is done for both persons and goods to be transported. Other inspections include notification systems. Border security personnel require that they get information pertaining to the contents of trailers, vehicles and containers before they arrive at ports. Current policies stipulate that they should have a notice 24 hours before arrival of goods on ocean vessels, and at least one-hour notification before arrival of trucks (Willms & Rothkopf, 2007). Law enforcement is another measure that ensures security of the transportation sector. It runs different activities such as providing air marshals to commercial flights and providing trained officers at all ports of entry.
In the United States, the federal government gives grants to the local government to improve transportation security. The grants are either block or categorical. For block grants, the local government decides how much to spend on transportation security, and how to utilize the funds. On the other hand, categorical grants are given with instructions (Agranoff & McGuire, 2004). The federal government decides how the grant should be used and makes a follow up to ensure that the funds positively improve the transportation sector. Transient Grant Security program and support for the Highway Watch Program of the American Trucking Association are examples of categorical grant that were given to the Canadian government in 2006. The grants amounted to eighty million dollars, and were meant for transportation security for six urban centers.
The government and private sectors are highly affected by the efforts to increase and improve public safety (Agranoff, 2012). State, civil, and federal governments bear the cost of solidifying local targets. Other major levels of the governments also put up with a high cost of ensuring efficient trading. The United States administration of transport security reported that air security cost increased by almost five billion dollars from 2001 to 2002.
On the other hand, Australia spent $2732 million in 2002 and 2003 to install aviation security measures (Mueller & Stewart, 2011). The Australian government and airline companies contributed the entire amount. In the private sector whoever, the cost of security goes into raised costs of administration, and high cost of safety equipment such as security cameras, fences, and lock passes. A Research by Congress Research Service showed that the amount spent on the security of train and buses from 2001 to 2003 was $2 billion. There has been minimal analysis carried on the benefits of transportation security compared to the analysis of the private and funding sector. There are many assumptions on the advantages of security. The primary assumption is that security provides protection of the people in general and prevents fall of the economy.
Some of the illegal activities that hinder growth and efficiency of the transport sector are theft, extortion, and fraud, among other criminal activities (Easley & Kleinberg, 2010). For efficiency to be restored these activities should be prohibited and offenders highly punished. Safety systems, inspection and licensing are referred to as personal security. The prerequisites of personal security are linked to property damage and injury to an individual.
These issues are covered under personal safety. Personal security has both direct and indirect benefits on transportation system. It helps to combat and reduce terrorist attacks and risks. In addition, personal safety helps to detect and preempt potential attacks. An example of personal safety measures is the provision and usage of radio frequency identification device tags (RFID) on containers to prevent terrorism attacks. It helps to guarantee the safety of all passengers. On the other hand, it helps entrepreneurs to know the location of their goods. This kind of security measure, significantly improves transportation safety and eventually customer service.
Under sovereignty protection, the direct benefits include native regulatory compliance, decreasing smuggling and entry of illegal goods, and disease control and pests infestation (Easley & Kleinberg, 2010). Compliance with statutory rules is essential for the provision of several benefits. Unswerving border regulations ease trade and generate high growth of business. Business growth and improved productivity lead to improved living standard for citizens. Regulatory compliance also levels the competing field for both foreign competitors and local firms. A good example of sovereign protection is where a country compels foreign trucks and vessels to abide by the local standards. This helps to equalize costs and enables the local industries to operate in a fair and competitive manner. When a government restricts smuggling and other illegal activities, it benefits both itself and the private sector. Smuggled goods like tobacco and ivory often have considerable tax. Curtailing unlawful activities increases the governments’ revenue.
There are indirect benefits of sovereignty protection and border security. The benefits include advanced functioning of supply series and expanded trade. Safety and trade at the border have also been improved due to electronic filing and improved documentation. Advanced security system allows distinct members in the supply chain to use similar information. Easley and Kleinberg (2010) observed that firms, both supplying and buying that use internet as a basis of information have indirect benefits of interoperability.
Security measures help to curb terrorism. Indirect benefits of preventing terrorism are associated with higher asset values and preservation of tourism. Prevention of terrorism reduces jeopardy premiums that are built into decisions by investments and later yield assets that are of higher value. Prentice (2008) proposed that the macro level that boosts security can also lead to improved investments and increased level of GDP. In addition, safe and secure facilities tend to attract more and better employees. Advanced productivity and excellent customer service result in high property values. Another direct benefit of transportation security that is associated with terrorism protection is maintenance of tourism. Situations in a country affect tourism. This implies that tourism decreases when security risks increase. An example is the 2003 outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome that led to a sudden decrease of tourists in the United States.
Technology has significantly contributed to indirect benefits associated with terrorism prevention. New and improved technology has resulted in decrease in terrorist attacks. Improved screening has been the primary cause of terrorism prevention (Prentice, 2008). Improved radiation and chemical detectors, RDIFs, and cargo x-rays are examples of testing equipments used at airports and borders to prevent terrorism and trafficking of illegal substances. These equipments help to save time. Prentice (2008) alleges that the equipments lessen the time for handling materials.
Terrorists always get an opportunity to infiltrate cargo movements due to reduced throughput speed. Increased performance rate reduces terrorist infiltration and guarantees a low supply chain cost. Security personnel are deployed at customs offices, airports, the border posts, and seaports all over the world. The personnel are responsible for ensuring streamlined transaction of trade and guaranteeing security. A good example of a technology aimed at preventing terrorism that helps to enhance business operations is electronic supply system. Electronic supply system reduces the period a firm takes to produce patent. Prentice and Hickson (2007) allege that a company with average annual sales of $1.2 billion and imports worth $100 million uses at most 20 minutes, with half the average people to generate patents that previously took three days to fabricate.
Interdiction of illegal activities is another measure used to guarantee transportation safety. It has both direct and indirect benefits (Prentice, 2008). The direct benefits of prohibiting illegal activities in transportation system include decreased insurance risk premium, lowered incidence of crime rate, and reduced employee turnover. Improved levels of security lead to decreased likelihood of loss. Consequently, they make insurance companies to charge lower premiums.
Several factors such as global supply chains, better security, enhanced inspection and improved screening of members such as truck drivers, have been put in place to reduce severity and frequency of illegal activities. All these have direct benefits that include the immediate decrease in the amount of insurance premiums charged. Moreover, improved security assists to improve working atmosphere be it in an office, border post, or even at the port of entry (Prentice & Hickson, 2007). In areas with insecurities and high risks, workers tend to seek more wages and demand regular security. All these actions are potential in increasing the cost of production. Better security leads to decreased effects of crime.
With advanced security, there are low chances of selling stolen and illegal goods in the local market, or exporting stolen merchandise to other countries. Additionally, superior controls on money laundering are achievable due to improved transportation security. The focal point of money laundering prohibition has been on controls of financial organizations that transfer money internationally. Financial controls have been strict on criminals, causing them to seek other means of moving illegally acquired funds out of the affected authority. Some of the newly acquired means are to undercharge exports and to overpay for imports. The involved company then sells the goods using the local market price and gives the excess money to criminals. The local authorities use advanced tracking system to fight such illegal businesses. Additionally, authorities use statistic mining technology to identify exports and imports with inconsistent invoices.
The primary indirect benefit of improved interdiction of criminal activities is decreased supply chain cost resulting from reduced fraud and theft. Fraud and theft incapacitate a supply chain. A research carried out by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on international security indicated that consignment theft amounted to $50 billion in the year 2001. The United States was leading with $25 billion. Due to improved transport security, there has been a ten percent reduction in theft saving the country $5 billion each year.
Research Design
Statement of purpose
This research is based on analytic and explanatory methods. The study does not intend to verify a specific hypothesis. Instead, it will analyze the benefits of transport security on national and global economies. Besides, it will investigate how transportation security has enhanced operations at airports in the United States.
Data collection method
The study will use secondary data. Hence, researchers will look for secondary data from online libraries and peer-reviewed journals. Besides, the federal government records will provide vital information that will help researchers to establish the effort made by the government to promote transportation security. The study will also select books and journals that have case studies of transportation safety.
Data analysis
Data will be analyzed based on its relationship to the topic at hand. All secondary sources that discuss transportation safety will be analyzed and compared to come up with comprehensive findings.
Research Findings
The United States Congress turned its focus to airport safety in 2001 after the September 11 attack (Mueller & Stewart, 2012). They had to standardize and tighten airport security that was previously in the hands of private sectors. The private sectors had contracted security services that were no competent enough to handle the whole airport screening. Not only were the security personnel incompetent, but also overworked and received minimal wages. Inadequate training of employees led to many mistakes, which subjected airports to security vulnerabilities. After the September 11 attack, the federal government introduced strict and controlled inspection of baggage and passenger screening. The government also consolidated the airport security into one agency, from the previously flawed system. Currently, it is the responsibility of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to handle all the baggage and passenger security in the United States airports (Mueller & Stewart, 2012).
The federal government also tried to lessen the effects of prospective cataclysmic security incidences by using homeland defense to tighten security. The government had to spend almost $55 billion on the program. The takeover of airport security has been of great impact and led to significant improvement of airport safety in three main areas. The areas are technology, standardized procedures, and staff training. The government-controlled system has prevented a repeat of the 2001 attack. Nevertheless, the press has criticized the system alleging that it has privacy issues.
The new security system comes with a security access control that makes protected areas inaccessible for unauthorized people. Security cameras installed at strategic points, monitor passengers and luggage. Infrared cameras have also been essential as safety measures. They can detect minor fuel leaks from airplanes from a long distance. These new technologies have ensured passenger and luggage safety. The systems guarantee to be useful even in the future. Traces of chemicals, explosives or narcotics can be screened without the screening machine coming into contact with a person or luggage. This kind of technology is more accepted by the Americans because it has minimal passenger invasion.
There is no much anxiety over the screening procedures as the machines do not come in contact with the passengers. The aviation authority plans to design improved security system in the coming years. The aviation security have installed proven biometric identification systems that enables them to track their employees and control the access to planes that have in one way or another improved the airport security (Van der Ploeg, 2012). Global Positioning System (GPS) devices are also used in airports to track vehicles traveling in the airfield and also monitor activities in the cocktail and permit access to vulnerable and unsecure places.
Two months after the attack, the retired President Bush signed the Aviation and Transport Security Act (ATSA) bill into law, which gave the TSA power to be in charge of the federal government agency. With the TSA as head, airport security development was standardized. Nowadays, only one agency is charged with the responsibility of the screening process along with inclusive background checks for both passengers and employees. Before the ATSA, all aviation security guidelines and procedures were vague and general. However, after the ATSA, the federal security agency is necessitated to share any crucial security information about employees and passengers with airports and airlines (Frittelli, 2005). The TSA established and used similar safety standards in all airports. Frittelli (2005) claims that ATSA required TSA to inspect all checked baggage using sniff dogs, hand searches, X-rays and other innovative technological system.
Prior to 2002, less than ten percent of checked luggage was screened for explosives. Failure to screen luggage for explosives jeopardized the aviation security. In 2002, new detection technology was improvised and hired private agents were mandated to check and inspect baggage for explosives. Since the passing of Airport and Transport Security Act, screening has been limited to licensed and uniformed TSA agents.
Matching checked luggage within connecting flights remained the responsibility of airlines. If passengers switch flights, their luggage is not rechecked to avoid unnecessary repetition and wastage of time. Baggage is only loaded to a plane once the owner has boarded the flight. This policy was passed to prevent airline security violations and unnecessary delays. Airport security continues to improve due to continuous effort by the Congress to overhaul the ATSA by adding more security regulations.
A research by a commission based in the United States found that there were vulnerabilities in the screening process at the airports that caused the September 11 attacks. Though the ineffective screening did not play the main role in the attack, it was still a cause. The United States Senate acted speedily on these findings and centralized the screening process through the help of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA). Most legislators queried the screening process done by private companies. They considered the process to be vulnerable because of little training offered to the employees and the high turnover rates recorded. For this reason, Transport Security Act was created, and the Senate appointed one agency to oversee and control the entire screening process. They focused on better detection technology and training, which also helped to create new jobs and influenced the employed staff to be dedicated.
It is evident that the September 11 attack changed the aviation industry and led to improved security at airports and other transport terminals. The attack resulted in the formulation of new policy and regulation. The manner in which luggage and passenger are screened nowadays is completely different from how it was done previously. The safety of employees and passengers has greatly improved since the ATSA mandated the United States government and the airport authority to modify its security culture (Johnstone, 2006). The ATSA bill was signed into law through the direct response from the airport security. The United States Congress instantly took action and passed the Airport and Transport Security Act creating an encompassed federal agency to standardize the new airport safety requirements in the country.
Despite all the benefits that come with the transition, it has not been easy for the United States citizens. The citizens complain of interfered privacy and freedom. Most screening methods have been under high public scrutiny due to potential personal privacy violations. However, the centralization of the aviation security has kept United States citizens free from terrorist and criminal attacks since 2001.
Conclusion
Measures to ensure improved transportation security are essential as they guarantee a broad range of benefits. The benefits are not always seen as they are often hidden from the wider view of transport safety. There are several ways that can be used to measure benefits of transportation safety. Depending on the measurements considered, direct benefits include lower medical cost, high asset value, and the overall improved living standards. On the other hand, there are indirect benefits associated with improved transportation security. Indirect benefits change based on the dimensions considered. They include better supply chain performance, excellent vehicle utilization, and reduced insurance premium. There are numerous advantages of security measures. Most advantages are tangible, though some are intangible. There are no standards put in place to measure benefits such as reduced personal stress, passengers’ feelings, and inter-jurisdictional cooperation. The future research should focus on finer details of intangible benefits.
References
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