BALPA SECURITY GROUP Be part of the team We are always looking for new members for BALPAs Security Group By John Vincent, Co-Vice-chair, BALPA SEC Group ur group is part of the BALPA Flight Safety sub-committee and meets six times a year, mainly at BALPA House LHR. For the past few years, our November meeting has been combined with a visit to the annual International Security Expo at London Olympia. This has given us an opportunity to attend briefings and presentations by major security entities, and to promote BALPAs importance in aviation security by networking with government bodies, manufacturers and associations. The group consists of pilots captains and first officers from many UK airlines, serving police officers, and representatives from other aviation associations and stakeholders, bringing a broad spectrum of knowledge and experience to the table. Guest speakers also make presentations relating to our work. Probably the highest-profile and most notable recent win for the group was the passing into UK law of the Laser Misuse Act 2018. This created new offences of shining or directing a laser beam towards a vehicle or air traffic facility, for which the maximum penalty is imprisonment for up to five years, an unlimited fine, or both. BALPAs tireless work in this area over many years is recognised by a briefing paper in the House of Commons library, which states that the law is a response to concerns expressed over the years, particularly in the aviation industry and by the British Airline Pilots Association, about laser pens being shone in the direction of aircraft. Other topics on our radar include disruptive passengers (a growing concern), crew and bag security around the world, inconsistent crew-screening protocols at certain airports, and the evolving cyber-security threat. We have members who represent BALPA at meetings of the European Cockpit Association, IFALPA and ICAO SEC, as well as other international events and conferences. We are always looking for new members, so, if you think you might be interested, contact Toni Girdler, our Flight Safety PA, at ToniGirdler@balpa.org and arrange to come along to a meeting when they resume with no commitment to join. Thats what I did 10 years ago, and I have been on board ever since.