was evacuated and all passengers rescreened. This event was described by airport management and the relevant Ministers as evidence of the effectiveness of the airport security function and processes. But what does this mean in relation to the significant CCTV capacity deployed across the airport? Considered in the language of surveillance, this event could be described as a failure of CCTV. Why was it those passengers were not able to be identified, traced back and their whereabouts accounted for? It could be argued by many in the aviation sector that the threat of terrorism necessitates a risk mitigation strategy such as that implemented by Sydney Airport. Yet, that mitigation came at a significant cost. An active surveillance-focused CCTV system, with the appropriate technical


June 2012 Aviationsecurityinternational


capabilities and controlled by suitably competent operators, should be able to quickly respond to such a situation and deliver an alternative risk mitigation option at a far lower cost.


CCTV Capability Defined by Language How we think and talk about CCTV influences how we both employ and exploit the medium. Corkill (2011) first raised this issue and it has been further explored by Corkill & Brooks in 2012.


It is argued that stakeholder language frames the context in which CCTV is employed. Therefore, if CCTV is purely framed in an evidentiary context in an airport environment, then it is less likely to be fully exploited as an active surveillance or intelligence gathering solution. CCTV is too often discussed within this context of evidence and therefore unnecessarily constrained in its application. CCTV images used in post- event reconstruction of events such as 9/11 and the 2005 London Underground bombings helped cement its value as an evidential tool. Consequently, law enforcement exploitation of CCTV, by


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