By Goth Mohamed Goth
Berbera- A consignment of Hi tech security equipment donated by the UK government meant to upgraded local counter terrorism capabilities consisting of X-Ray, Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) and CCTV equipment has arrived in the port of Berbera and will be deployed at the two major airports in the country in the coming few days’ reliable sources have confirmed.
As part of the Government’s approach to counter terrorism (CT), the UK assists key partner nations to improve their CT capabilities. By helping countries to undertake CT activities locally, it targets the problem at source and reduces the risk of a terrorist attack against the UK. The UK is committed to developing counter terrorism capability in the Horn of Africa.
The proposal in this case is to gift security equipment and vehicles to a) the Somaliland Ministry of Civil Aviation and Air Transport to be used at Berbera and Hargeisa Airports, and b) the Somaliland Department of Immigration to use at land/sea/air border crossings to ensure that persons entering/leaving Somaliland pass through robust security and immigration checks, allowing Somaliland authorities to identify and disrupt threats to aviation and border security.
The equipment and vehicles will be gifted alongside a training and mentoring package (which is not part of the gift but also provided by the UK), costing £457,263. The training aims to ensure airport security staff can operate X-Ray, Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) and CCTV equipment; as well as to promote the benefits of a sustainable and compliant civil aviation sector through close mentoring of senior officials and professional development of operational staff.
SomalilandPress.com
