By Martin Banks - 23rd September 2009
When a problem, be it a disease like swine fever, or an attack on the cyber network, happens in one place it can affect us all
John Reid
Delegates at a conference in Brussels on Wednesday were told that restrictions on laptop computers at airports should be lifted.
Opening the conference, security expert Philip Bowman said that the introduction of the restrictions – which oblige passengers to remove laptops before putting them through security X-rays – were "understandable".
He added, "Equally, we are entitled to ask how long these restrictions are going to be kept in place."
"The technology now exists which renders it unnecessary for passengers to remove laptops and I believe that lifting the restrictions now would represent an early and practical improvement for airline passengers," said Bowman, CEO of Smiths Group, the UK-based global technology company.
"I would estimate that it would also halve the length of queues at airports and get both Europe and air passengers moving more freely."
He was addressing a European Security Forum at the Stanhope Hotel, organised by Smiths Detection, one of three divisions of Smiths Group.
The one-day conference, attended by people working in the security industry from all over Europe, also marked the official opening of the company's government relations office in Brussels.
Another speaker was John Reid, the former UK interior minister, who told this website that Europe faced "more threats and is more vulnerable than ever before".
Reid, who is also a former secretary of state for defence, said, "The process we call globalisation brings many opportunities for Europe.
"But it also brings huge vulnerabilities because it means there is an inter-dependency on everything from the economy to energy.
"For example, when a problem, be it a disease like swine fever, or an attack on the cyber network, happens in one place it can affect us all.
"That is why we now face more threats and are more vulnerable than ever before. This requires all of us, including the business and academic world, to cooperate more closely with each other."
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