Israelis unveil next generation in security

By Sharmila Devi

Trying to detect suicide bombers among the millions of passengers that pass through western airports each day would be a formidable task given the impossibility of interrogating them all.

A new system developed by an Israeli company utilises physiological and psychological responses assessed by a computer, rather than a human. It is due to go on trial at both a West Bank crossing point and a US airport, which is deliberately not being identified, later this year.

Passengers will place their passports on a scanner and a hand on a sensor. They will then answer a series of questions on a computer screen generated by the passport's origin while physiological responses are measured through the hand sensor. The passenger is then either waved on or sent for questioning by an official.

The company behind the system, Suspect Detection Systems (SDS), is one of hundreds from Israel that have helped to maintain the country's reputation as a leading provider of security, dealing with everything from physical protection and surveillance to biometrics and perimeter security.

High levels of defence spending and security consciousness predate the present intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which has claimed thousands of victims. However, events such as the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001 and suicide bombings in London last year have focused western officials on Israel's experience in protecting civilians.

Shabtai Shoval, who used to work in Israeli military intelligence, set up SDS with Amiram Levin, the former deputy head of Mossad, the secret security service, and Ishayau Horowitz, the former head of the Israeli police'spolygraph division. The company was formed with a mix of government grants and private funding and is looking to raise another Dollars 2m (Euros 1.7m, Pounds 1.1m) in private equity.

Mr Shoval says the system does not rely on subjective profiling of passengers or jeopardise individual privacy and that it has a 95 per cent success rate. "The questions differ according to passport, age and background," he says. "In Israel we tested the system with Shabak (the Shin Bet internal security service) and we can adjust it to other cultures."

On Israeli streets and in public spaces, people have got used to armed security guards and stringent questioning at airports. Less obvious are high-tech systems such as a separation barrier under construction in the West Bank, which uses radio technology to detect infiltrators.

There are about 600 security and safety companies in Israel, which generated non-defence or military-related exports worth Dollars 850m in 2004. That figure will rise by about 20 per cent a year for the next few years, the Israel Export and International Co-operation Institute says.

Israeli companies, especial-ly those listed abroad, have sparked the interest of investors, with many sec-urity stocks being watched closely. These include Magal Security Systems, which makes electronic fences and video-motion detection systems, and SuperCom, which specialises in biometrics.

Israeli companies have also kept a close eye on the US Department of Homeland Security, which gives grants to companies specialising in public transport security and baggage checking. The US market for security products, it is estimated, will grow at up to 7 per cent annually in coming years.

The conflict with the Palestinians provides a testing ground for new technologies, including the use of smart cards and new terminals, where SDS's system will be tried out.

But in the end technology cannot replace human intelligence, says Mr Shoval. "Nothing can replace humans who can penetrate terrorist organisations."