MATRA: Cutting the risk of airport crime and terrorism
Background/What is MATRA?
The creation of the Multi Agency Threat and Risk Assessment (MATRA), a Department for Transport (DfT) / Home Office joint initiative, follows a recommendation made by Sir John Wheeler in his 2002 Review of Airport Security (PDF, 128KB). He saw merit in encouraging and developing greater joint working between all security stakeholders, both the regulatory authorities and the industry. Working together they can produce the most accurate assessments of the threats to airports from crime and terrorism; identify any gaps and overlaps in the existing security regimes; and plan for management of the risks involved.
Developing the MATRA concept
The Government accepted Sir John Wheeler's recommendations in principle. MATRA National guidance, based on work undertaken at five UK pilot airports: Heathrow, Birmingham, East Midlands, Newcastle and Glasgow was launched in December 2003. Using this template, all airports in the National Aviation Security Programme are now engaged in MATRAs.
The MATRA Group and Methodology
A MATRA group actively involves all security stakeholders - uniformed police, Special Branch, Customs and Excise, Immigration, DfT Aviation Security Inspectors and, importantly, the aviation industry (airport operators, air carriers, cargo agents, general aviation and other commercial concerns). The methodology sets out a process to ensure identification of the full range and magnitude of security and criminal risks at an airport, and the roles and responsibilities the different agencies have addressing them. It covers what controls are currently in place and what further action is required.
The Aim
Very simply, the aim of MATRA is to arrive at a security plan which is jointly- owned and which can be routinely revisited to take into account future developments. These could be a change in the type, volume or profile of services operating at that airport, or responding to new or differing crime trends or threat intelligence.
