"Used at St. Vincent-de-Paul: Metal scanners for airlines?" Montreal Star. September 11, 1970. Page 27. ---- By DUNCAN HAIMERL ---- Airlines, faced with considering more stringent security checks, could adopt prison-type metal detectors to check for weapons on passengers.
But some of the devices, while ideally suited for prison conditions, may mean extra difficulties for airline staffs.
The common one used in prisons is a personnel scanner which an inmate walks through. Any metal on his person is indicated by a bell and a more thorough search is carried out to find the object.
Any metal unfortunately means just that, and the metal can include a zip per, a ring, a watch or a pen as well as a knife or similar weapon.
However, a trained person might be able to tell just how much metal is there and a high meter reading and steadily-ringing bell could mean a gun.
Jean Page, director of the Special Correctional Unit at St.-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary his Rens Personnel Scanner, an eight-foot high walkthrough machine does the prison job with ease.
"But we know what the inmate is wearing," he said. "What will they do on the airlines? Ask all the passengers to wear coveralls with nylon zippers? I don't think it's what they want."
A smaller hand-held metal detector may be the answer, he said, because it's held against the person's clothing and indicates where exactly the metal is and roughly how much there is.
Sensitive enough to detect a dime in a person's hand or pocket, the Transfrisker emits a varying tone de pending on the size of the metal object and could check luggage for large metal objects.
Some airlines already use a type of metal detector for passengers and lug- gage but officials were hesitant to point out what type they used.
Suggestions were made that fluoroscope or x-ray machines could be used. However, this could mean passengers would be given above-normal exposure to the machines, with uncertain health effects.
Two Canadian suppliers of the metal detection units said they have not been contacted by airlines since the recent rash of hijackings prompted tighter security measures.
But they added they would be ready to co-operate with the airlines' requests. Some checks may be made with airlines already using the devices to determine their suitability and also see whether design changes must be made.
NEW USE FOR METAL DETECTORS? How prison-type metal detectors could be used for checking for guns on plane passengers is demonstrated by Edgar Robitaille, assistant security chief of the Special Correctional Unit at St. Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary, and reporter Duncan Haimerl. In background is an eight-foot high walkthrough detector called a Rens Personnel Scanner.
Staff Photo by Gerry Davidson