Introduction
Many civilizations today place security concerns prior to their political agenda because of the increasing perception that international security is at higher threats from malicious acts like terrorism. Though terrorism has been in existence for a longer time and many security strategies are in place to prevent terror attacks, major terrorism acts including the unforgettable day in the US history (the 9/11 attack), the bio-agent threats, the Tokyo subways attack, the 1997 intention of the Islamist extremists to bomb New York subways and the 2004 bombing of Madrid commuter trains have evoked a stronger battle to improve security (Adams, 2003).
Goals for the security plan
In the context of terrorism targeting transportation networks, attention is directed towards securing transportation for three reasons. First, the major transportation facilities (vehicles) are appealing and vulnerable to terrorism attacks because of concentration of people thus becoming potential victims. The securities have their main goal as securing these vulnerable groups. It is the role of every state to protect the rights of every citizen from aggressive occurrences.
Secondly, transportation system can be utilized by terrorists as a conveyor belt for organizing their criminal acts. For instance, terrorists can use transportation systems to ship in illegal arms to countries or at times they can use transportation vessels as weapons, an example is what happened to twin towers (Banes, 2011). The Centervale will lay strategies to eliminate the possibility of terrorists using means of transports as a step stone to organizing terror attacks. The City security plan will have to put into place strict measures to ensure serious vigilance at the cross boarder transportation. The city security plan need to make the security agenda a preventive act and thus it should perform a cost analysis of preventing terrorism to its damage. Therefore, the city needs to make security a whole sector of economy integrated initiative. The other goal for security plans will be ensuring up to date reform and integration of technological applications to its security agents.
Vulnerabilities
There are several vulnerabilities which are evident in the public transportation modes today. In the aviation mode, the vulnerability of this mode is that most of the cargo planes are not always thoroughly inspected. Another problem is that when the plane has taken off, if terrorists hijack the plane, the people aboard have limited chances of escaping alive. This is because the plane is in very high altitudes and one cannot possibly jump without using parachutes.
In the maritime mode, there main vulnerability is that this mode always uses paths which are very far from homeland. This means that if at all the security aboard the particular transportation vessel then it is easy for the terrorist to easily attack the vessel. The maritime mode also has little security vessels which ensure that they are safe. Security checks are always at the port and at the destination only. In between little or no security checks are carried out (Transport Research Centre, International Transport Forum, 2009).
In the mass transit mode, the main vulnerability is that they are less secured. The road transport deals with very many passengers during the day. The vehicles are also not fitted with devices which can scrutinize the identities of its passengers and thus it can easily be hit by terrorists.
In the highway transit, the ways are not always fully secure. Motorists sometimes have to travel for miles before they come across a police check point. This is a great problem since in between safe points terrorists can strike with ease. The freight rail has a disadvantage in that the train passes on designated pathways and always they remain to be the same paths. With these unchanged paths, the terrorists could strike with ease since these trains also use specific time schedules. The pipeline transporting mode is very infrequently checked and terrorist might use this to their advantage and use what is being transported either to their use or destroy it.
Risks and consequences
Centervale city is risking a lot to attacks due to the assumption that terrorism targets bigger cities. Terrorists are of malicious intent and careless of the size of city. The current system of transport is risky to terrorism attacks because at the planning and the designing of transportation systems, security concerns were never taken into account and thus the city subways and other means of transport still remains exposed to potential malicious destruction by terrorists. If the potentiality of terrorism attack will be submerged to good wish assumptions, the City is risking losing its grid of safety to humanity travelling in and out of the city. Transport potentiality to attacks need to be addressed or otherwise the city will risk losing tourists and economic deterioration in case of an attack. The current system of transport and the security agents are reluctant on the within city investigation and checking of possible security threats to the transportation sector within the city. The city as it is can become a harbored for terrorists and so the security agents need to put the same effort they are putting on cross border security prevention to the within city transport.
International terrorism entails direct threats and possible attacks deliberately with the use of violence on innocent civilians and b property in order to cause national fear and instability among the civilian population. These attacks have shifted to the now busy transport system in the major of and airports where goods and passengers have been targeted in the United States. Following the 9/11 attacks where the United States government suffered a major terrorist attack where two of the passenger flights planes where high jacked and latter crushed on the twin towers. Other terrorist attacks in the transport sector include the 2005 London bus attack of 7/7 by suicide bombers. This calls for proper analysis and proper audit of the security system of the transport sector. This involves.
The six modes of the transport system which includes —aviation, maritime, mass transit, highway, freight rail, and pipeline should be properly analyzed and a priority given to secure the same from terrorist attacks.
Aviation
The mode of transport is highly prudent to terrorist and if not well and properly analyzed it may very likely act as conduit for terrorists acting businessmen or other humanitarian agencies. Terrorism in major cities in the United States could strive if major airports do not employ security measures to curb terrorism. All departments of homeland security identify the key crucial areas of address before addressing crucial security measures. All airports should be fitted with intelligence surveillance and monitoring systems where suspected and wanted persons can be easily identified at the airport. Others include legal framework and technology system that that operate locally in conjunction with the national security and the local area security. Every local government is to establish a forensic laboratory in the all major towns and airports in order to achieve a national security and carry out proper identification of the person and ensuring safety of both airports and of the passengers aboard all flights.
Maritime
Maritime terrorism has been on the increase these days and it is advisable that all security measures be employed to curb this rising type of terrorism. Efficient and control immigration and international transport by water by secured with international security and surveillance through which the maritime transport can be secured. International terrorists in the maritime transport and other transport system have been in existence for long. Terrorism has gone a notch higher and is recently involved in the piracy section where ships have been hijacked and large sums of money requested and as ransom. This has put maritime transport on the rise and it is highly alarming. This mitigate measures can be employed to prevent terrorism by large margins. This can be done by avoiding the use of unauthorized routes especially for tourists and use of internationally acclaimed safe routes for transportation and fitting the ships with tracking devices and communication systems with an all hour security surveillance at the ready in case of attack.
Highway
The highway is the most commonly used mode of transport involving all motor vehicles and bikes. Terrorism has been rampant on roads where the bus stop and other terminus have been subjected to attacks and innocent lives of civilians have been experienced. All public transport terminuses should be fitted with improved national identification system increased public awareness of terrorism as well as adequate preparedness of the security system and other government institutions. Terrorism should also be curbed in our roads as transit of firearms and other unwanted personnel have been through the roads. The government together with other security agencies should maintain a level of high alertness and intelligence to make all American streets and roads safe.
Freight rail and pipeline
Rail and pipeline are also another terrorism threat in the USA. To curb all underground train tunnels should be fitted with sensors and detectors that guard the tunnels against possible detonation and bombing. Pipelines should be fitted with sensors that are highly sensitive to threat and attack. There should be a regular and ready surveillance for the system to prevent any threats and security risks. The rail terminus and line should be fitted with sensors and regular security checks to enhance smooth transportation and safe secured cities and counteract terrorism.
Protective programs
Protection against possible terrorist threats and attacks require dynamic systems because terrorism concerns matters of uncertainty and terrorists are adaptive to changes in security plans of their targeted enemies. Centervale modes of the transport system are international and require integrated security programs to prevent potential terrorist attack.
A hometown security program is an effective suggestible initiative in preventing terrorism within and outside the city. The program will include the development of suspicious activity reporting agencies which will lay strategies to track and trace suspected or known terrorists from entering and dwelling in the city. The agency will employ measures that will advance passenger personal and bio-information tracking and recording. This will serve to notify on high risk travelers thus ensuring legitimate travels within and outside the city. The team will also be charge with the responsibility of advancing methods used in screening for explosives. This will involve screening of air cargo and maritime containers. The hometown security team will have to take further initiatives to train citizens on how to handle and respond to terrorism emergencies. This will include education to create awareness to ordinary citizens and security agents on how to ensure self and national security (Williams, 2008).
Furthermore, the condition of the transport and world security issues today is so much complex and demanding the Centervale security need to work in partnership with international security agents for advisory and exchange of information vital to the world wide and the city’s security. Security of citizens cannot be guaranteed by mere words or having programs in place without the conscious of citizens that they are actually protected. Citizens have to be psychologically guaranteed security. The hometown security agencies would have to produce security reports concerning its achievements, intelligence and how they are working to protect the life and rights of its citizens.
Involvement of multiple government agencies in the fight against terrorism is very vital. This is especially for our town of Centerville. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI together with other law enforcing agencies will help in creating a strategy that will ensure that we reduce the risk of terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security will have new roles so as to help the plan into realization. In creating awareness to the public about the whole aspect of terrorism and what it contains, the division of Information analysis and infrastructure should organize awareness clinics to the public. Alongside, public information about terrorism should be conveyed to the public through the social media.
In this division of Emergency preparedness and response in the Department of Homeland Security, there should be modern and up to date equipments which can be used in times of emergencies. This equipment should always be kept safe and should be serviced regularly as well. This division should also create an emergency response committee which will incorporate brilliant ideas from all social up-fronts of the City of Centerville. This committee should balance people from different social backgrounds as well as have people who have specialized in this field.
The division of Border and Transportation Security should be upgraded such that there should be very efficient and modern equipment such as bomb detectors. The scrutiny of all people who come to the city should be intensified greatly. Their background s should be checked thoroughly and all people who seem mysterious should be reported to the FBI for further investigations. The division of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Countermeasures should send its employees to different parts of the city and also around border points. They should be granted the task of scrutinizing all luggage that come in so as to ensure there are no radioactive and other harmful material that enters in the city either through air, road, rail, pipeline or through the waterways (Publishing, 2009).
The FBI should be enhanced with an enlarged workforce and also they should undertake courses that involve fighting against terrorism. They should have more efficient and modern working machines such as high speed computers and internet connections.
Advances in technology will greatly improve security of public transport systems. Advances in the technology for instance the installation of high quality CCTV cameras inside the public transport systems will give the Department of Homeland Security an easier time in accessing the databases of each individual that uses the public transport system. By doing so, they increase the chances on singling out the terrorists and any suspicious individuals.
There should be installed luggage-scanners installed on the public transport systems. These scanners will help single out luggage which may be having dangerous contents such as weapons of mass destruction. The department of registration in the city should have a list of all habitants and all these habitants should be well known. The advances in technology will ensure that the department is able to keep records while in their offices.
Technological advances such as the introduction of measurements which can control the wireless networks in the public transportation systems will improve their security very much (Nyampong, 2013). This is because as it has been noted earlier, most terrorist activities utilize the wireless networks so as to trigger remotely controlled bombs and other terroristic devices. Creating a measurement that can halt all wireless communications will help and ensure that incase terrorists happen to be on these transport systems they cannot actually set off remotely controlled weapons.
References
Adams, N. (2003). Terrorism & oil. Tulsa, Okla: PennWell Corp.
Banos, A., & Thévenin, T. (2011). Geographical information and urban transport systems. London: ISTE.
Nyampong, Y. O. (2013). Insuring the air transport industry against aviation war and terrorism risks and allied perils: Issues and options in a post-September 11, 2001 environment. Berlin: Springer.
Publishing, O. E. (2009). ITF Round Tables Terrorism and International Transport: Towards Risk-based Security Policy. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Transport Research Centre, International Transport Forum, & Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2009). Terrorism and international transport: Towards risk-based security policy. Paris: OECD/ITF.
Williams, B. (2008). Intelligent transport systems standards. Boston: Artech House.
