Full-body scanners spark concerns

The prime minister said that passengers would see the ‘gradual’ introduction of the scanners for flights in and out of the UK, alongside the use of metal detectors and hand-luggage checks, as part of a heightened security screening process.

The move comes in the wake of the failed Christmas Day attack on a transatlantic passenger flight to Detroit and is due to be followed by a European Commission meeting on whether to approve the use of the machines throughout the European Union.

Following Brown’s announcement, BAA, which operates six airports in the UK, said that the full-body scanners will be introduced as soon as is practical. Heathrow is expected to be the first to receive the new technology, which is scheduled for installation within the next few weeks. 

It is understood that Smiths Detection has already received an order from BAA for its Eqo scanner, which works by bouncing millimetre waves onto a person from a 2m-high panel. The variations in reflection generate a 3D image that the company claims can reveal any kind of hidden material threat.