Airport policing in the United Kingdom has taken many forms since the rise of scheduled

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

services in the post-war period. Policing at major civilian airports was the responsibility of specialist constabularies operated by three central government departments until 1974, when the rise in international terrorism saw armed police from

territorial police force A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...

s deployed to major airports under the provisions of the Policing of Airports Act. As more minor airports grew in size, they too switched to armed police provided by local police forces. However, the funding agreements for the provision of such services varied wildly from airport to airport, leading to disagreements between airport operators and chief constables. A new regime, the ''Airport Security Planning Framework'', came into force in January 2010, and brought airport operators, airlines and police forces together to develop joint security and policing plans for all passenger airports.

History

Air Ministry Constabulary

Civilian airports in the United Kingdom were originally under the control of the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of Stat ...

, which was mainly concerned with the operation of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, but was also responsible for non-military aviation. During this time, airfields and aerodromes were policed by the Air Ministry Constabulary, who were sworn in as special constables under section 3 of the

Special Constables Act 1923 The Special Constables Act 1923 (13 and 14 Geo. V, c. 11; full title - ''An Act to make perpetual, subject to an amendment, the Special Constables Act, 1914; to provide for the employment of special constables in connection with Naval, Military an ...

. In 1946, F. J. May OBE was appointed as the first Chief Constable, and

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

D. F. Grierson MBE was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable.

Ministry of Civil Aviation Constabulary

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the rise in

civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...

saw the creation of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 1946, and Heathrow Airport was brought under the ministry's control that year. The Ministry of Civil Aviation Constabulary was formed in 1948, and its first chief constable (appointed that year) was Sir John Bennett, a former

Inspector-General of Police An Inspector General of Police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most se ...

for the

province of Punjab Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Bennett died in June 1949, and was replaced by W. Ronnie who had been deputy chief constable under Bennett, prior to which he was the Chief Constable of Breconshire Constabulary, and a member of

Buckinghamshire Constabulary Buckinghamshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Buckinghamshire, England, until 1968. Buckinghamshire Constabulary was established 6 February 1857. At establishment it had a strength of 102 officers. In 1868, p ...

from 1927 to 1947. Members of the Civil Aviation Constabulary were sworn in as special constables under section 37 of the

Civil Aviation Act 1949 Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience * Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a mem ...

British Airports Authority Constabulary

The

British Airports Authority Heathrow Airport Holdings is the United Kingdom-based operator of Heathrow Airport. The company also operated Gatwick Airport, Stansted Airport, Edinburgh Airport and several other UK airports, but was forced by the Competition Commission to se ...

was established in 1965 by the Airport Authority Act 1965, and on 1 April 1966 the new British Airports Authority Constabulary (BAAC) took on responsibility for operating London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London Stansted airport. The change of administration was seen as an opportunity to partially reform old working methods, and then-novel innovations were introduced, such as report forms with tick-boxes, an

index card An index card (or record card in British English and system cards in Australian English) consists of card stock (heavy paper) cut to a standard size, used for recording and storing small amounts of discrete data. A collection of such cards e ...

system and dictation machines for detectives. In December of that year, the strength of the force stood at 201. In 1969 the Chief Constable, Major W. Ronnie, was awarded the Queen's Police Medal. BAA took on

Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is an airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2019, handling over 14.7 million passengers. It was also the sixth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom by ...

in 1971, and

Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen International Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Obar Dheathain) is an international airport, located in the Dyce suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. A total of just under 3.1&nbs ...

and

Glasgow Airport gd, Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Ghlaschu , image = Glasgow Airport logo.svg , image-width = 200 , image2 = GlasgowAirportFromAir.jpg , image2-width = 250 , IATA = GLA , ICAO = EGPF , type = Public , owner = AGS Airports , hub = *eas ...

in 1975. By mid-1970, the strength of the BAAC stood at 326, of which 28 were women. BAAC constables were sworn in under section 10 of the Airport Authority Act 1965.Airports Authority Act 1965 They were attested before a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...

(or a

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

in Scotland), and had "the powers and privileges and ereliable to the duties and responsibilities of a constable" on all the aerodromes owned or managed by BAA. They also enjoyed their powers when following (pursuing) a person from such an aerodrome, if they could have arrested them on the aerodrome. BAA had the power to sack or suspend constables, and were vicariously liable for their actions. In April 1971, R. M. Carson was appointed as Chief Constable of the BAAC.

Municipal airport police forces

However, not all major airports were under the control of BAA. In 1961, control over Liverpool Airport had passed from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor J ...

, who established Liverpool Airport Police in that year. Separate police forces were also maintained for

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those ...

( Manchester Airport Police) from 1954 to 1976,

Birmingham Airport Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Borou ...

( Birmingham Airport Police) from 1970*Birmingham Corpororation Act 1970 (c.xxii) to 1976 and Glasgow Airport from 1969 to 1975.

Belfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is an airport northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland, is the main airport for the city of Belfast. Until 1983, it was known as ''Aldergrove Airport'', after the nearby village of Aldergrove. In 2018, over 6.2 ...

have operated a separate police force,

Belfast International Airport Constabulary The Belfast International Airport Constabulary (BIAC) is a small, specialised police force responsible for providing policing to the Belfast International Airport in Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. Officers employed by the force as empowered to ac ...

, since 1971, which still exists today. Members of all the police forces had full police powers whilst on the airport (in the case of Birmingham Airport Police, their powers extended when in pursuit of a person from the airport as with BAAC). Liverpool Airport Police were effectively disbanded in 1974, when political change at the city council saw Liverpool Parks Police merged with the airport police into a civilian "Liverpool City Security Force". Police forces were also maintained by Teesside Airport,

(pre-BAAC),

East Midlands Airport East Midlands Airport is an international airport in the East Midlands of England, close to Castle Donington in northwestern Leicestershire, between Loughborough (), Derby () and Nottingham (); Leicester is () to the south and Lincoln () ...

Luton Airport London Luton Airport is an international airport located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, situated east of the town centre, and north of Central London. The airport is owned by London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL), a company wholly owned by L ...

and Southend Airport.

Designation under the Policing of Airports Act

In 1974, a terrorist alert at

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

caused the army to be deployed in an immediate response. Although the exact circumstances of their deployment are still unclear, the effect was that the armed officers from the Metropolitan Police were, for the first time, permanently deployed to Heathrow Airport. The BAA, being a public corporation (but not under the direct control of the government), could not arm its officers, and nor could the municipally-controlled police forces at Birmingham or Manchester. As a response, the government introduced the Policing of Airports Act 1974, which gave them the power to "designate" airports for the purposes of policing. Designation of a particular airport caused policing at that airport to become the responsibility of the local

for the airport (who could deploy armed officers), and the airport operator reimbursed the police force accordingly. The designated airports were those owned by BAA at the time (Heathrow,Policing of Airports (Heathrow) Order 1974 (SI 1974/1671) Stansted,Policing of Airports (Stansted) Order 1975 (SI 1975/168) Gatwick,Policing of Airports (Gatwick) Order 1975 (SI 1975/375) Aberdeen,Policing of Airports (Aberdeen) Order 1975 (SI 1975/1769) Edinburgh,Policing of Airports (Edinburgh) Order 1975 (SI 1975/447) GlasgowPolicing of Airports (Glasgow) Order 1975 (SI 1975/443) and (Glasgow) PrestwickPolicing of Airports (Prestwick) Order 1975 (SI 1975/445)) and BirminghamPolicing of Airports (Birmingham) Order 1976 (SI 1976/590) and ManchesterPolicing of Airports (Manchester) Order 1976 (SI 1976/1045) airports, then under the control of their respective local authorities. Consequently, the BAACPolicing of Airports (Gatwick) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/376), Policing of Airports (Heathrow) (First Supplementary) Order 1974 (SI 1974/1672), Policing of Airports (Stansted) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/169), Policing of Airports (Prestwick) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/446), Policing of Airports (Edinburgh) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/448) and the Glasgow,Policing of Airports (Glasgow) (First Supplementary) Order 1975 (SI 1975/444) BirminghamPolicing of Airports (Birmingham) (First Supplementary) Order 1976 (SI 1976/591) and Manchester Policing of Airports (Manchester) (First Supplementary) Order 1976 (SI 1976/1046) airport police forces were disbanded on 1 November 1974 and its members absorbed within the ranks of the respective territorial police forces. However, s.57 Civil Aviation Act 1982 allows the creation of a body of "special constables on any premises for the time being vested in or under the control of the Secretary of State. Every person so appointed shall be sworn in by the justices duly to execute the office of a constable on those premises and when so sworn in shall, on those premises, have the powers and privileges and be liable to the duties and responsibilities of a constable." Although the designation system allowed territorial police forces to recover the additional costs of providing extra police officers for airports in their

police area A police area is the area for which a territorial police force in the United Kingdom is responsible for policing. Every location in the United Kingdom has a designated territorial police force with statutory responsibility for providing poli ...

, it had some limitations. There was no effective means of

arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ...

between an airport operator and the police force – the

Secretary of State for Transport The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent is ...

could "determine" what the payment would be, but could not adjudicate on what level of service should be provided. At Luton Airport, which was not designated,

Bedfordshire Police Bedfordshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which includes the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Its headquarters are in Kempston, B ...

provided armed police under their statutory duty to provide "effective and efficient policing", but the airport operator refused to pay for the service.

2006 Independent Review of Policing at Airports

In 2006, Stephen Boys Smith was tasked by the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...

and the Home Office to carry out a review of airport policing. His report recommended that partnership working be enhanced and that the system of "designations" be discontinued. The Policing and Crime Act 2009 introduced a new statutory framework, the ''Airport Security Planning Framework'', which applies to airports designated by direction of the Department of Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (see below). Under this framework, two groups are established at each airport: a Risk Advisory Group and a Security Executive Group. The Risk Advisory Group assess the security risks to the airport and issues Risk Reports. The Risk Reports feed into the Security Executive Group, who draw up an Aerodrome Security Plan (ASP). The ASP covers the measures in place at the airport, who is responsible for the measures and how those measures will be monitored. If the ASP includes the provision of police services, then a Police Services Agreement (PSA) is also made. A PSA includes the level of policing that will be provided, how it will be paid for, and what facilities will be provided by the airport operator to the police force. PSAs do not cover responses to emergencies (both day-to-day emergencies and those covered by the

Civil Contingencies Act 2004 The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (c. 36) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes provision about civil contingencies. It also replaces former Civil Defence and Emergency Powers legislation of the 20th century. Background to ...

), extra police provision for hijack designated airports, border control work or protection against

man-portable air-defense systems Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters. Overview MANPADS were developed in the 1950s to provide military ...

. The new Framework also includes expanded powers of dispute resolution for the Secretary of State for Transport, and provides for recourse to judicial review by the High Court.

Airports covered by the National Aviation Security Plan

The following airports are covered by the Single Consolidated Direction 2010, and are subject to the Airport Security Planning Framework as outlined above.

References

Designation orders

''The designation orders, and the Acts listed below marked *, are only publicly available at the

Parliamentary Archives A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of t ...

.''

Other references

{{UK private and military police forces Law enforcement in the United Kingdom