Information exchange is essential for the protection of Civil Aviation
Willemstad – The 5th Annual Curaçao Airport Partners Aviation Security Conference (AVSEC Conference) takes place on May 30th, with presentations by renowned international professionals in the aviation industry. The focus of this years’ conference is mainly on the great importance of aviation partners sharing information in order to protect and safeguard civil aviation against terrorist attacks.
The AVSEC Conference is an informative platform for airport security supervisors, coordinators, civil aviation inspectors in the Dutch Caribbean, and partners in the aviation, tourism and economic industry, during which presentations are offered on critical safety topics and international measures. CAP’s ultimate aim in this is to enhance and exchange knowledge on the implementation of security measures in order to protect and safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference perpetrated on the ground or in flight. This will be CAP’s 5th time organizing the annual AVSEC Conference.
Trainings by conference speakers
This year CAP invited the speakers: John Velho, who is the Chief of Screening Oversight and International Operations at Transport Canada and has extensive experience in the field of Aviation Security. He has been a key resource in the development and implementation of Canada’s National Civil Aviation Security Training Program (NCASTP); Ted Martin is the first Aviation Security Inspector to be appointed in the history of Trinidad and Tobago at the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority. Currently, he holds the position of Senior Aviation Security Inspector; Michael Nicolaas who as prior Managing Director and CEO of various airports in the Caribbean has been involved in Civil Aviation for the past 4 decades, of which in the past 18 years in developing Airport Projects at privatized and concession Airports in Latin America and the Caribbean; Hans de Jong, whom is the current director of the CCAA and is among others a specialist in strategic aero-political policymaking; and (Retired) Captain LaPonda J. Fitchpatrick who was responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and regulatory compliance of the global gateway known as LAX and its satellite airports for over 30 years, and retired as the commanding officer within the Los Angeles Airport Police Department (LAXPD);
One way CAP works on enhancing the information exchange during the conference is by using the opportunity at hand (having the selected international professionals in Curaçao) and offering in-depth trainings, to among others airport police, KPC and other security professionals within Aviation in Curaçao, on currently critical topics. An example is the interactive presentation by Captain LaPonda J. Fitchpatrick on the topic ‘Active shooter response in the dynamics of an aviation environment’.