GEA and Trade Security Express Delivery: Secure By Design The express delivery companies that are the members of the GEA are referred to as “integrated carriers” because they provide a fully integrated door-to-door air-express cargo service, backed up by highly sophisticated, unrivalled, end-to-end recording, processing and communication systems (“track and trace”). It is this closely integrated, origin to destination control of cargo that, among other factors, distinguishes express delivery services from other segments of the air cargo industry where the cargo may change hands many times among cargo agents, brokers, airlines, and pickup and delivery services. Because they are committed to moving goods and documents from the initial sender to the ultimate recipient, and to guaranteeing delivery at specified times, express delivery companies have tighter controls and tracking systems than do other carriers. The demands of express delivery operations also mean that goods are continually in motion and constantly in the custody of the employees of an express delivery company. By the nature of the business, express delivery operations are highly secure. Since September 11, 2001, express delivery companies have reviewed every aspect of their security programs to identify and correct weaknesses. Although no system can every be entirely safe, we are confident that the extraordinary measures taken by express delivery companies, together with the fact that express delivery involves a single, door-to-door chain of custody, assure a high level of security within the express delivery environment. Although the express delivery business is highly time-sensitive, GEA members are ever aware of their role, as both aircraft operators and ground transport providers, in ensuring that the needs of aviation and air cargo security are met effectively. They do this by: applying the standards and recommended practices laid down in ICAO Annex 17, augmented, where appropriate, by implementation of the recommended practices contained in European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) Doc.30; operating fully automated tracking and tracing systems which give a complete audit trail of all shipments by time and location status reports; applying strict security procedures in respect of all employed means of transport, facilities, information systems and personnel; and by applying modern risk management and threat assessment procedures. Details of the GEA Air Cargo Security Programme are explained in the following paragraphs. Air Cargo Security The basis of measures employed by GEA members is to be found in Annex 17 of the ICAO Chicago Convention and in the EU Regulation 2320/2002, which is based on ECAC Doc.30, in particular the acceptance of the concepts of the Regulated Agent and the Known Consignor. A Regulated Agent is defined as an agent, or any other entity that conducts business with an operator and provides security controls that are accepted or required by the appropriate authority in respect of cargo, courier and express parcels or mail. A Known Consignor is the originator of property for transportation by air for his own account and who has established business with a regulated agent or air carrier on the basis of certain criteria, as mentioned below. GEA members are all, by definition, Regulated Agents, in that they conform to the standards laid down by the appropriate national authorities. They are also, of course, aircraft operators in that all of them own and operate their own fleets of dedicated all-cargo aircraft. A Regulated Agent or an air carrier may recognize a consignor as a known consignor by: establishing and registering the identity and address of the consignor and the agent authorized to carry out deliveries on his behalf; requiring the consignor to declare that he prepares consignments in secure premises, employs trained and reliable staff for such preparation and protects the consignments against unauthorized interference during the preparation, storage and transportation; requiring the consignor to certify in writing that the consignment does not contain any prohibited articles or dangerous devices as listed in ICAO, Annex 17. It is important to note that under ECAC recommendations there is recognition that all-cargo aircraft pose a significantly lower risk to terrorist attack than combined passenger/freight aircraft, and therefore the criteria mentioned in the preceding paragraph need not apply where consignments can be positively identified for carriage only on all-cargo aircraft. Regular shippers are classified as known consignors, or account customers. The vast majority of GEA members’ customers are regular shippers, persons, companies, or other organizations (e.g. public authorities, education or other not-for-profit groups) wthatare well known to them. Only a small proportion of air express cargo originates from unknown consignors and for these shipments special security measures apply. Known consignors have an established business relationship that normally includes billing and credit arrangements, regular collections from or deliveries to their premises, and contacts with sales executives, customer service staff, and couriers. In other words, GEA members know their customers, where they operate, where they do business, which commodities they ship and to where, and in many cases what they receive by way of in-bound deliveries. These are established business relationships, providing a strong connection between the regulated agent and his account customer. The security procedures adopted by GEA members are designed to ensure that express air cargo shipments are: received from known consignors by employees who have been recruited and trained in accordance with ICAO or equivalent regional or national recommendations; transported in secure vehicles from the customer’s premises to the integrators premises; received, processed and handled in a physically secure environment until they are loaded onto an all cargo secure aircraft, thus ensuring an unbroken security chain from collection to loading on board. Security is further enhanced by the highly sophisticated, automated tracking and tracing systems employed by GEA members that provide a full audit trail of all shipments by time and location status reports. These computerized records are held for varying lengths of time and are also available as printouts, if required. Unknown cargo and unknown consignors/shippers Any shipments received from unknown sources, that is, anyone who is not an account customer, or from an unknown consignor/shipper who does not have an established business relationship with a GEA member, are treated as unknown cargo and are subjected to ECAC-recommended security controls. These security controls include, but are not limited to: ensuring that reception, processing and handling of cargo is carried out by properly recruited and trained staff; reasonably ensuring that the cargo does not contain any prohibited articles by : i) searching by hand or physical check; or ii) screening it by X-ray; or iii) subjecting it to simulation chamber; or iv) applying other means, both technical and bio-sensory (e.g. trace detectors); and where none of the above means of security screening can be applied, due to the nature of the goods, a 24-hour security storage may be applied; and ensuring that once the above controls have been implemented, the integrity of the consignment is maintained until the departure of the aircraft. Air cargo passed to passenger carriers Any air express cargo accepted for air transportation by a GEA member will fall into either of two categories: cargo from a known consignor or account customer that , in accordance with ECAC recommendations, will be eligible for flight on any aircraft, passenger or all-cargo; or unknown cargo from an unknown consignor/shipper that has been screened by one of the methods specified in the ECAC recommendations, as outlined in above, and after clearance has been accepted as fully cleared or known cargo which is eligible for flight on any aircraft, passenger or all-cargo. Cargo from a known consignor will be identified as such at the point of handover to the passenger carrier; current practice in regulated countries is that this cargo is subject to further security screening before flight. Cargo from an unknown consignor will be identified as such at the point of handover to a passenger carrier and may be flown as security screened or subjected to such further measures as the passenger carrier decrees. It is worth emphasizing that in applying ICAO and/or ECAC air cargo recommendations, GEA members ensure that the following categories of consignments are not carried by air unless they have been subjected to the security controls outlined above: Unaccompanied baggage transported as cargo on passenger carriers; Consignments from non-regulated agents; Consignments from unknown consignors; Consignments delivered by a person other than the known consignor himself, and his authorized agent; Consignments of which the contents do not coincide with the description delivered and Consignments for which the known customer fails to certify that they do no contain any prohibited articles. Organizational Security Each of the GEA members has its own dedicated Security Department staffed by security professionals and responsible for security coverage in each and every country served. Security measures and procedures are subject to regular review and audit. Security staff are in regular liaison with local and national agencies, frequently providing valuable assistance to law enforcement and customs agencies. They also participate in regional consultative groups on a range of issues, including security. Security departments subscribe to a variety of intelligence sources, and risk assessment is an on-going process. Aviation security information bulletins and directives issued by national authorities or governmental organizations are subject to immediate and rigorous action within the GEA member companies under auspices of the Security Department. Recruitment of Personnel Each of the GEA members has its own Personnel or Human Resources Department staffed by qualified personnel professionals administering the full range of policies necessary to ensure that the correct levels of skills are attracted to and retained within the industry. Recruitment policies in place within the member companies ensure that, as far as is practical and allowed by national laws, detailed background checks on any applicant's employment history are carried out. In this respect, GEA members welcome official assistance in the vetting of cargo handling staff by relevant national authorities. Personnel Departments are responsible for ensuring that as far as is practical, all employees are as thoroughly vetted within the levels prescribed under local legislation. Training of Personnel All GEA members have their own in-house Training Departments. Operational and management training are essential and continuous processes are designed to take account of all changing business and legislation. Air cargo security measures and any national regulations are included as an integral part of each company's training programme for all personnel engaged in the transportation process, and are amended, as required, to take account of any regulatory changes. Facility security All buildings used by GEA members for the handling, processing and storage of air express cargo are maintained to a secure condition and where necessary and appropriate, intruder alarms systems, security guards and closed circuit television are deployed. Secure compound storage areas are also provided where required so that no air express cargo is left insecure or unattended while in transit. Access control All GEA members have their own access control systems or methods to ensure that only authorized persons are allowed access to their facilities. Visitors are controlled, and are either accompanied at all times or issued with location- and time-specific passes where appropriate. Permanent employees are issued with identity cards, which are required to be displayed at all times. Each GEA member has a system in place to preserve the integrity of its identity card and pass policy. This ensures that such authorizations are removed when the holder ceases to be employed or the need for the pass no longer exists. Strict control is exercised over access to cargo storage areas, and where necessary, special security arrangements are made for sensitive or high value shipments. Transportation All vehicles, of any description, used for the transportation of air express cargo are capable of being effectively secured and made tamper evident. All drivers of vehicles used for the transportation of air express cargo are trained to maintain the security of their vehicle and the cargo at all times. Vehicles must be securely locked when left unattended and checked for security on return. Each GEA member has an effective vehicle fault reporting system in operation whereby any defects in the vehicle security or locking systems can be reported and repaired. Drivers are encouraged to report any actual or suspicious incident to the Security Department staff for full investigation. Modern risk management and threat assessment techniques In addition to the measure described above, GEA members apply a variety of modern risk management and threat assessment procedures. While details of these procedures cannot be disclosed publicly, each GEA member works in close co-operation with customs and civil aviation authorities, and with other national security and police forces. The focus of a modern security strategy must be on anticipation techniques, rather than reactive controls. Security checks must be initiated as early as possible in the consignment cycle and not delayed until the goods reach a border or some other control. Any information gathered at an official inspection following the initial acceptance of a consignment should be, where possible, shared between the control authority and operator so that both parties can learn from each other and continuously improve their risk management systems.   ©2010 – GEA