Laptop ban, KL airport attack highlight need to overhaul checkpoint security globally

THE recent ban by US and UK authorities on laptops and other computing devices being brought on-board airplanes and the assassination of the North Korean leader's half-brother at Malaysia's main airport have highlighted the need for a review of surveillance at major international checkpoints.

In recent years, low-cost carriers have contributed to a surge in international air travel. Major land infrastructure projects such as the US$11 billion Zhuhai-Macau-Hong Kong bridge and the just-approved High Speed Rail connecting Singapore and several Malaysian cities are also posing serious challenges to security officials in charge of border crossings.

As land, sea and air travel has increased many times over the last few decades, much of the security focus has been on advances in body and baggage scanners, especially post 9/11; increasing the numbers of surveillance cameras; or making the resolution of such cameras sharper or more "intelligent".