"Man on airport roof starts security alert"

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Man on airport roof starts security alert
The Manchester Evening News


SECURITY has been stepped up at Manchester Airport after an intruder managed
to get into a restricted area and was found on a rooftop. Police were called
after the man was spotted on top of an "air bridge", used by passengers to
board aircraft. The Department of Transport is believed to have launched an
investigation. It is understood the intruder dodged security checks by
following maintenance workers, who were fixing a ventilation system outside
Terminal One, as they went through a security gate to a restricted zone.

The man then walked onto the roof of the terminal building through a door at
the top of a stairwell and crossed into restricted,"airside" space outside.
Only staff and workers with special security passes are allowed "airside",
and it is understood that both the gate and the door he used are usually
locked. Police today confirmed that he was arrested after being spotted on
the roof of a passenger airbridge near to Gate 41, after walking across the
terminal roof. In a statement, Manchester Airport said: "Police carried out
an investigation and we verified the route he took. We have since
strengthened security in that area and we are pleased that the procedures in
place resulted in a man being arrested."

A man has been charged with "entering a restricted zone of an aerodrome" and
has appeared in court. Airport bosses embarked on a savage cost-cutting
exercise two years ago, which resulted in a series of damaging strikes in
security where 140 jobs were axed and wages were slashed. At the time of the
strikes, the M.E.N. reported three breaches of security. A further security
loophole was disclosed by the M.E.N. in July when a reporter got into
restricted areas of Terminal Two by punching a widely available code into a
door lock.


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