Increased security measures implemented at Douglas Charles Airport

Chief Executive Officer of the Dominica Air and Sea Port Authority (DASPA), Benoit Bardouille, has revealed that additional security measures are now in effect at the Douglas Charles Airport.

Persons traveling may now be randomly chosen to undergo a secondary screening process of their luggage.

Speaking on DBS Radio’s ‘DASPA In Touch’ on Thursday, August 10th, Bardouille said that he encourages persons taking flights to be very cooperative with this new measure as this is a directive straight from the United States.

“Some passengers may not be aware but one of the procedures that we have is that you are to be subjected randomly in relation to tests, especially so for explosive trace detections. We want to make sure that persons are clear and understand clearly the job that security is doing. For example, you would have security screening from the first check point in terms of our extra units to random screening again,” he said.

Bardouille noted that passengers can be called upon for a secondary screening by security or by the aircraft operators and have to go through a complete security check once more.

Dominica “must comply with those instructions” of the US and failure to do so will result in that country turning flights away.

He said that he has confirmed to US officials that DASPA will see to it that all passengers cooperate and they all “meet the requirements that they are supposed to.”

 

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50 Comments

  1. amanda
    August 14, 2017

    I would like to comment on the practice of airport employees opening suitcases “at the back”, out of sight of their owners. Very frightening as they do not close them back properly as they say they will.
    The suitcases should be opened in front of the owners.

  2. amanda
    August 14, 2017

    where is my comment?

  3. amanda
    August 14, 2017

    Three years ago I visited Dominica. On my way out, I was told to unlock my suitcases at the airport, they were going to do a search. I thought it was going to be done right at the check out. No it was done after checking in AT THE BACK . I must say that I was panicking as I could not see what was going on with my suitcase. Certain things I put in there I could have put in my carry on to be safe or keep from dissapearing. I was also told they would lock the suitcases afterwards.
    They did not lock the suitcases; not sure if anything fell out.
    TRAVELLERS SHOULD BE PRESENT WHEN THE SUITCASES ARE BEING SEARCHED.
    MR. BARDOUILE, PLEASE MAKE SURE OWNERS ARE PRESENT TO PREVENT THINGS TAKEN FROM SUITCASES.
    I did sent a note to LIAT, about not locking my suitcases as was promised, up to today, no reply, no apology.

  4. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    August 12, 2017

    If you are talking about security measures in place; and you come with this crap that persons will be randomly chosen for screening; that in any true democracy in the modern world would be considered outright discrimination!

    That would be actually targeting some innocent, people while a criminal terrorist may not be screened; and once they get past, and boarded, innocent life’s could be lost. If the idea is to allow some Dominican to open and insert his/her dirty filthy hands into a traveler luggage, that is not the way passengers are screened any longer internationally.

    There is a technology used these days to detected almost anything in a luggage which could cause harm to people on an Aircraft. Since a certain man; a so called prime minister told the world that we in Dominica are even much better off than the United States, I would hope our technology would be more advance at the Swamp in Melville; than even at Kennedy International Airport!

    • badbaje
      August 13, 2017

      It is common practice in many international airports, including Kennedy International Airport, to randomly select some travelers for secondary or additional screening. I myself has been the subject of a secondary search at Kennedy International Airport more than once, and I know others who have. It has also happened to some I know at the airport in Barbados. This is nothing new, nothing unheard of in other countries. Relax and cooperate. Those in charge may discriminate while selecting persons for random secondary search, but that is a different matter.

  5. DRASTIC
    August 12, 2017

    Bardouille is saying that some passengers may not be aware. Just place a simple notice to make them AWARE. Most passengers are likely to be upset if they have to be screened a second time.
    A visible notice and courteous security staff can make things easier for all

  6. August 12, 2017

    I would like to say to the supervisor at the airport who handle people luggage to install cameras so they can catch the employees that are stealing out going people stuff from there luggage they stole my stuff on several occasion , the supervisors are in co hoot with those thieves at the airport , so maybe I should be asking the government to install cameras , , not the supervisors, boy when are we as a people gonna get to international standards? , you come home on holidays only to get your stuff stolen at the airport going back to the states or north Amerika and Europe, it is a shame , you don’t know your stuff is taken till you get home, by then it is to late and those thieves know it, that got to stop, can somebody help?.

    • NATALYA
      August 14, 2017

      Absolutely right. There needs to be some type of security for the travellers luggage.

  7. UDOHREADYET
    August 12, 2017

    why cant they jus get a trained dog to sniff the luggage instead of doing all that nonsense.

    • badbaje
      August 13, 2017

      LOL @ get trained dogs to stiff. Sir, you could not have chosen a more fitting name.

      • DA girl
        August 14, 2017

        :lol: :lol: :lol:

      • Mr. Ben Dover
        August 15, 2017

        To be honest he is correct. We have no canine unit or trained dogs.

  8. Cofused
    August 12, 2017

    That should be in place when those port workers and airline workers was caught putting drugs in someone luggage at the back to ship out. Ppl can take the fall for drugs in another country they know nothing about, because the airport workers placing drug for transactions in persons luggage at the back after checking if their deal went wrong or if it missed a flight. This is mad Mr bad will fix that at dog- last- charles

  9. bause
    August 11, 2017

    >Dominica “must comply with those instructions” of the US and failure to do so will result in that country turning flights away.

    That doesn’t make any sense. We don’t have to do anything the US tells us to do.
    And aside from private charter flights, we don’t have ANY flights going directly to the US from DA. So what flights they going to turn away? And if the US were really putting security measures like this on us it would be more than just random bag checks (which is something I thought we already did, it’s basic protocol everywhere)

    • Mike X
      August 13, 2017

      Yes you do have to comply because if you don’t, the US can disallow the flight into San Juan or the USVI. This could be a huge revenue loss. Please don’t make silly comments as the one above. Airlines can also be fined for non compliance.

  10. Ideal
    August 11, 2017

    Guess they will be looking for more crab backs.

  11. Profet of doom
    August 11, 2017

    One of the advantages enjoyed by the so called diplomats/ambassadors- to- nowhere, the likes of pop-eye, is that they have not been subjected to searches at airports ……. all that should change now. I feel that no one, but no one, should trust anyone else (above the age of reason) on the face of this earth. Humanity has degenerated to this abysmal state, where, trust is a thing of the past. Thanks to alllllll those who have given reason to substantiate the aforementioned sentiment.

  12. Tj
    August 11, 2017

    Make it random!

  13. August 11, 2017

    Because the backwater is a prime terror target?

  14. Sextus
    August 11, 2017

    Mr Badouile you need to spend less time on the radio and more time coaching your staff on the disgusting unprofessional, laid back attitude that they have at Melville Hall.

    Get them to plant flowers arround the airport like the NEP, repair and clean the old fashioned washrooms that are usually dripping water on the floor and smelling horse urine because most of the day, they spend it playing dominoes, cards or are on their cell phones largely because of infrequency of flights there.

  15. Helas!
    August 11, 2017

    those security bozos are doing such a poor job, I am not against security checks but the security people are sick. they opened my bag behind my back and did not even put a tag saying checked by and you can imagine my state of mind when my bag was going through the USA screening ( did anyone place anything in my bag?)
    This young man dove in my hand luggage you would swear it was a caterpillar D-4 , but while putting on my belt looked at him gingerly placing his fingers in a white lady’s hand luggage.

    So get set if somebody does not like somebody you will get checked over again and maybe over again.

  16. freddy
    August 11, 2017

    A custom office tony Thomas at the ferry terminal need to move from this area. He is very unmanned to visitor at the ferry.

  17. The Darkness
    August 11, 2017

    More crap handed down to us by the US…

    1 day at a time.

  18. A lover
    August 11, 2017

    All that is craps you talking , one set of people get free pass and one set have to go through hard times . I am a frequent traveller I always see things in my eyes happening. Well is your job is your duty you must speak but I’m there to see the changes at that airport

  19. %
    August 11, 2017

    Knowing the type of country that Dominica has become has become under Skerrits bad,incompetent,lazy leadership,I am hoping that political affiliation will not factor in as a search reason.
    SKERRIT MUST GO
    SKERRIT MUST GO
    SKERRIT MUST GO NOW!

  20. Danziger
    August 11, 2017

    I myself is line caribbean for me is Express, Costa and MSC, he will not see me in his country.

  21. Jayson
    August 11, 2017

    What needs to be done is to stop opening and searching peoples luggage at the back of the airport without the individuals being present!!

    Who knows what they can put in your luggage without your knowledge, to be picked up by their crooked friends on the other side!!!

    • St lucia
      August 11, 2017

      My person bag was check, fine but my check bag was check without my present.how I know that my a sticker was put on it.

    • Man bites Dogs
      August 12, 2017

      @ JASON,Don’t be sinecal and stupid this things do happen in the UK and Europe for a while and no one complain but black people like to make noise over nothing.

  22. Vernon
    August 11, 2017

    It’s a good move, however I hope that the new measures will be implemented in a discreet and fair manner and not one set of passengers that will be subjected to the secondary screening.

    I hope the word “random” does not mean the security officer and/or aircraft personnel will target passengers that does not support their political views and persuasion or fits the description of a certain type of people. When doing random sampling / screening, there is a scientific way its done and not picking passengers to go through the secondary screening at the wimps and fancies of the person doing it.

    In Dominica we have a funny way of doing / implementing things as opposed to the rest of the world. There is history to suggest that not all passengers going through airport security in Dominica are usually treated equally.

    We will be watching how this one plays out.

  23. August 11, 2017

    These random searches are a great idea.

    • Me
      August 11, 2017

      Provided they are really random and not targeted.

  24. August 11, 2017

    Just making things more difficult, it is laughable that we are now in a position to get directives from the US on security matters. Are not these matters governed by international protocol? Flights not going to US will they also be subject to this additional screening?

    • St lucia
      August 11, 2017

      At the ferry terminal .the security are very professional. A specially them men.
      Nothing pass them.

  25. papa
    August 11, 2017

    But u talking about usa they not doing boy boy look a country

  26. Jonathan St jean
    August 11, 2017

    He should also say that this is as a result of a directive from the USA,based on the reckless actions of Skerritt and his government, which put the security of the USA at risk.Bardouille should not make it sound as if people should be blaming the USA for it’s high-handed behavior because it’s a bully country.The criminals and crooks who Skerritt sought out and went to bed with and when he got found out, that’s why we are having these procedures.Right now it’s the USA,soon other countries will be requesting that of us and our citizens will have to be processed more thoroughly at other country’s ports.

  27. papa
    August 11, 2017

    Mr sort benoit where u be na sp long they doing that at the airport eba

  28. August 11, 2017

    Good job. Good job.

  29. Pal Lotte
    August 11, 2017

    Fix di damn X-ray machine! I was called for a secondary bag inspection because my pack of cards was read as “something funny.”

  30. K
    August 11, 2017

    Bad-will always there we. But when is Americans that coming down. They passing floops. Do the same to the foreigners entering.

  31. Me
    August 11, 2017

    Oh yes…..I went through that in Barbados travelling back to the U.S. They should not just do secondary random checks….that should be done on everyone.

    • Mr. Ben Dover
      August 15, 2017

      But what the hell is really going on here nuh? Since when does the United States give Dominica directives and we simply jump to it like little slaves? Are we on a terror watch list like Sudan and all those other countries black listed? and if we do not do what America tells us to do for their own nonsensical reasons will we also be put on that list and banned from entering the US. Again and again our head just say yes and swallow these idiotic excuses and try to shove them down our throats.

      Lets look ahow the flow of passengers will be affected. there already is a huge bottle neck at the boarding immigration area. now you want to create more slow down for the processing of passengers. also, i believe that they already randomly search passengers luggage when entering the boarding area.

  32. FORKIT
    August 11, 2017

    stupes.. failed airport

    • August 11, 2017

      Is people like you wi Forkit.. That’s all I will say!

    • August 11, 2017

      If it was not fully functional, what would you say? If there were no flights coming in, no flights going out, what would you say then? I guess it’s safe to assume you’re one of the persons who would like the idea of the airport being closed.

      • Me
        August 11, 2017

        Simple Roy, I would say I live in Dominica.

  33. jihan
    August 11, 2017

    Hope you all so called big wigs are chosen and not the poor malaway,the corrupt Dominica government regime.

  34. Ehbeh look bowdell
    August 11, 2017

    “Some passengers may not be aware but one of the procedures that we have is that you are to be subjected randomly in relation to tests’ So what are the guidelines/requirements that makes one a candidate for these random screenings?

    • August 11, 2017

      It is RANDOM. What system is used to randomly selected a passenger? I guess we might never know as it is a security issue.

      • Mr. Ben Dover
        August 15, 2017

        The system will be based on discrimination. This was a huge problem in the states where only minorities were targeted. Eventually they had to introduce technology which actually randomly informed the security agents of the next person to check. We are asking for problems by doing this without proper procedures and equipment.

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