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Speaker 1: Gang members are apparently using regional flights to traffic drugs

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Speaker 1: around the country, making the most of the lower levels

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Speaker 1: of security at our regional airports. Currently, the security settings

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Speaker 1: mean that flights with fewer than ninety seats or less

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Speaker 1: than ninety seats on board unlikely to go through security screening.

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Speaker 1: Now the government says they're not going to do much

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Speaker 1: about this. It's a problem for the police. Billy Moore

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Speaker 1: is the and he's out on Airport's Association chief executive

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Speaker 1: and is with us this morning. Good morning, Billy, morning Ryan,

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Speaker 1: Thank you for being with me. Is this a big

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Speaker 1: problem for you guys?

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Speaker 2: Look, it is a concern that is regularly discussed amongst

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Speaker 2: the airport's airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority, something we're

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Speaker 2: aware of a police consume. But it's important for us

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Speaker 2: to focus on the fact that the purpose of passenger

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Speaker 2: and beaker's screening is for aviation security, and so that

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Speaker 2: means I'm more for interference with aircraft. These issues are

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Speaker 2: about other illegal activities and are a metaphor the police

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Speaker 2: rather than aviation security. So while we talk about this

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Speaker 2: in the context of security at airports, it's operation in

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Speaker 2: some of their issues around some steps that we can take.

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Speaker 1: Though you're really just more worried about someone bringing a

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Speaker 1: plane down, aren't you, I mean, rather than exactly yeah,

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Speaker 1: because because I mean, does it actually matter? I mean,

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Speaker 1: obviously it's not ideal for you, but if the drugs

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Speaker 1: are going to go, they could go on an intercity bus,

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Speaker 1: they could go on the back of a car, you

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Speaker 1: know what I mean.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right about that. Look, there are concerns around

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Speaker 2: this in terms of the overall security environment at airports

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Speaker 2: when when things like this are going on. Obviously it's

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Speaker 2: a concern for us because it makes the security environment

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Speaker 2: more you know, more tense, more and more difficult terms

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Speaker 2: the people around and the things that airports are being

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Speaker 2: used for. But there are steps we can take. For instance,

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Speaker 2: we think that a stronger and more consistent police presence

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Speaker 2: at airports is a really good step forward, and we're

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Speaker 2: trying to engage the civil authority and others on how

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Speaker 2: that could happen. So that's something that we know both

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Speaker 2: airports and airlines would like to see.

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Speaker 1: Would you like to see permanent police officers at all

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Speaker 1: regional airports?

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Speaker 2: Not necessarily going that far, but really strong relationships is important.

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Speaker 2: So that the police in that area have a great

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Speaker 2: engagement with airport staff, with airline staff, so that that

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Speaker 2: information flow is going, so that they're familiar with, for instance,

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Speaker 2: the airside environment as well. So there's still some steps

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Speaker 2: we can take there that would help this kind of situation.

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Speaker 1: All right, Billy, thank you very much for that. This morning,

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Speaker 1: Billy more of the New Zealand Airports Association Chief Executive.

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Speaker 2: For More Familiar edition with Ryan Bridge.

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Speaker 1: Listen live to news Talks.

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Speaker 2: It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast

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