‘Travel security imperative to check terrorism’

DAVOS: Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said that travel security is imperative to check both domestic as well as cross-border terrorism.
Addressing a workshop on “Shaping the Future of Security in Travel” during the World Economic Forum (WEF) here, he said that the procedures of security checks also need to be made easy, convenient and citizen-friendly.
“Travel security is imperative to check terrorism, both domestic terrorism as well as cross-country terrorism. This calls for not only constantly evolving new innovative methods to ensure security but also equally as much requires the involvement and vigilance on the part of the citizen,” said Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.

He cryptically remarked that while holding a panel discussion over here on this subject, a similar group of crime promoters, somewhere, may also be holding a similar discussion as to how to negate the new methods of security check, according to an official statement.
While underlining the importance of forewarning through alarm, Singh cautioned against the alarm system getting “alarmist”.
Out of hundreds of travelers, he said, there may be a rare isolated one who could be a suspect and therefore, the procedures of security checks also need to be made easy, convenient and citizen-friendly.

“Let us not forget that cross-border movement of legitimate travelers has, for centuries, enabled and sustained international trade, tourism-driven economy and intermingling of cultures,” the minister said.
Therefore, an optimum mechanism needs to be evolved wherein there is a zero-chance of a potential criminal or terrorist escaping a security check but at the same time, the mechanism does not prove deterrent to legitimate travelers, Singh added.
During the workshop, presentations were given by experts from Interpol, US Department of Homeland Security, Counter-Terrorism Directorate of UN and Intelligence Wing of China on the various new methods being tried for comprehensive and easy recording of fingerprints and other parameters without using the conventional methods practiced in the past. -PTI