Sky marshal
 |
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
A sky marshal (also known as air marshal or flight marshal) is an undercover law enforcement or counter terrorist agent on board a commercial aircraft to counter aircraft hijackings. Sky marshals may be provided by airlines such as El Al (who provide sky marshals on every flight), or by government agencies such as the Austrian Einsatzkommando Cobra, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, German Federal Police, National Security Guard in India, Metropolitan Police SO18 (Aviation Security Operational Command Unit) or US Federal Air Marshal Service.
Contents |
History [edit]
Australia [edit]
In response to the September 11 incidents, the Commonwealth instituted an Air Security Officer (ASO) Program under the Australian Federal Police in December 2001.[1][2] These officers are generally referred to in the media as Sky Marshals.[3] The ASO Programme provides a discreet anti-hijacking capability for Australian civil aviation by providing armed security personnel on board aircraft.[2] This involves both random and intelligence-led placement of armed ASOs on flights operated by Australian registered air carriers, on both domestic and international flights.
Officers are armed and trained and equipped for a variety of situations on both domestic and international flights.[4][5]
Austria [edit]
In Austria, air marshals are provided since 1981 by the Einsatzkommando Cobra.
Canada [edit]
The Canadian Air Carrier Protection/Protective Program (CACPP) began on September 17, 2002 when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with Transport Canada, the authority responsible for Canadian aviation security, and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), for the implementation and administration of the CACPP. The program is conducted by specially trained undercover, armed RCMP officers (known as Aircraft Protective Officers- APOs) on selected domestic and international flights and all flights to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Pilots and flight attendants are advised of their presence and the officer will physically intervene should an unauthorized person attempt to gain control of an aircraft.[6] APOs, however, will not be involved in controlling unruly passengers.[7] While they are peace officers within Canadian territories, they rely on section 6(2) of the Tokyo Convention as a legal basis for intervening an incident outside of Canadian airspace.[7] By law, such officers are exempt from acquiring a permit for importing or exporting their duty firearms when crossing the border.[8] However, the exact nature of their weaponry is not released to the public except they are "deadly and effective and should not damage the aircraft." [9] The Canadian Forces Military Police members of the 1 Canadian Air Division VIP Aircraft Security Detail, are responsible for providing security to Canadian Forces aircraft, crew and passengers – passengers who may include the Governor General, the Prime Minister and members of the Royal Family.[10]
India [edit]
After the explosion on Air India Flight 182 and the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, Indian civil airline regulators decided to deploy sky marshals on all its international flights. Post the September 11 attacks, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security ordered sky marshals on all domestic and international flights. Presently, all Air India flights carry sky marshals.[11] Private operators like Jet Airways also carry Air Marshals on selective routes.[12] The air marshals are recruited from India's elite commando force National Security Guard.[13][14]
United Kingdom [edit]
Sky Marshals are rarely used on flights originating from the UK. Officers from The Metropolitan Police SO18 Aviation Security branch are used on random flights, however details of the programme are not made public and the extent of their use is not widely known. For this reason their use is not heavily documented in the media.
United States [edit]
The US Federal Aviation Administration began its "Sky Marshal" program in 1968, which eventually became the Federal Air Marshal Service in 1985. That year, an Egyptian security officer on board EgyptAir Flight 648 opened fire on three Abu Nidal Organization hijackers, killing one before being fatally shot himself. In 2005, Rigoberto Alpizar was shot dead by two sky marshals on a jetway at Miami International Airport. Currently, Federal Air Marshal Officers are under Transportation Security Administration. Under the Visible Intermodal Prevention Response (VIPR) system, started up circa 2005, FAMs began to patrol non-aviation sites like bus terminals and train stations.[15]
Fictional references [edit]
In the film Executive Decision, the fictional Oceanic Airlines Flight 343 carried a sky marshal armed with a pistol, who played a minor role in subduing the Algerian hijackers.
The movie Anger Management starts off with a confrontation between Adam Sandler's character David "Dave" Buznik and an air marshal (Isaac C. Singleton Jr.).
The air marshal played by Peter Sarsgaard is a central character in the suspense thriller Flightplan, starring Jodie Foster, Erika Christensen and Sean Bean.
In the film Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, air marshals tackle the titular protagonists to the ground after a passenger sees Kumar's marijuana bong in the lavatory, believing it to be a bomb, and the smoke coming from it poison gas; they are then sent to Guantanamo Bay as suspected terrorists.
In Passenger 57, the Chief Air Marshal of Atlantic International Airlines stops a group of hijackers from taking over a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar airliner.
In the movie Get Smart, the main character Maxwell Smart is mistakenly tackled by a sky marshal while beginning a mission on board a plane.
In the film Due Date, Robert Downey Jr.'s character is shot with a rubber bullet by a sky marshal who mistakes him for a terrorist
Richard Tyson plays Federal Air Marshal Paul Judd of the TSA in the low-budget horror film Flight of the Living Dead.
In the film Bridesmaids, one of the main characters, Megan, is seated next to 'Air Marshal John', who repeatedly denies being an air marshal until trouble commences.
In the novel Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy the two main protagonists foil a hijacking attempt on their way from the United States to the United Kingdom; after this they then pose as having been Air Marshals so as not to blow their cover as a covert special forces team that just happened to be on the hijacked aircraft.
In the series NCIS a flight marshal is killed (Season 7, Episode 13)
In the movie You Again, Dwayne Johnson plays the Air Marshal who detains Kristen Bell character Marni Olivia Olsen.
In the series CSI:NY season 5 episode 3 (Turbulance) an air marshal is murdered on a flight with CSI Mac Taylor on board.
See also [edit]
 |
Look up sky marshal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.afp.gov.au/~/media/afp/pdf/3/34-airsecurity-officers-making-our-skies-safe.ashx
- ^ a b "Budget 2002-2003: Counter Terrorism measures" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. 2002. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "Cost row hits sky marshals". The Age. 2003-12-24. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "Air Security Officers - Australian Federal Police". Afp.gov.au. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ "FREE Stories - Up in arms". SSAA. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ Gazette magazine - The Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program
- ^ a b APEC CACPP Presentation
- ^ SOR/2008-45: Export and Import Permits Act: Exemption Regulations (Persons), Canada Gazette Part II, Vol. 142, No. 6
- ^ Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
- ^ Paule, Major (2010-01-27). "Military Police train for VIP... | Air Force Articles | News and Events - Air Force News | RCAF | DND/CF". Rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ TNN Dec 30, 2003, 11.32pm IST (2003-12-30). "A-I to comply with US norm - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ TNN Oct 11, 2001, 11.45pm IST (2001-10-11). "Private airlines brace to meet hijack threats - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ Dipak Kumar Dash, TNN Oct 17, 2011, 02.03AM IST (2011-10-17). "New-look NSG commandos to go hi-tech - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ PTI Jul 1, 2012, 02.24PM IST (2012-07-01). "NSG to pull out 900 commandos from VIP security for counterterror operations training - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ^ See article on Visible Intermodal Prevention Response
