Murder at Piarco

The headline possibilities seemed more like the titles of a thriller. The airport assassination. Death in the afternoon.

It would all seem so unlikely and absurd if it wasn't so terrifying and real.

On April 17, Arkim Quashie sat in the SUV that had come to collect him after he arrived on a flight from Panama. Then three men pulled up alongside in a silver Tiida, levelled high-powered weapons at the vehicle and opened fire, killing him and wounding another.

What's followed since this shocking incident is what the public has come to expect.

Investigations are underway. Evidence is being analysed. Surveillance footage is being viewed. Swift justice is being promised. Security is being improved, at least temporarily.

Acting Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin described the incident as a crime of opportunity, an act of desperation. But it's hard to characterise a bold, well-planned murder in broad daylight in those terms.

That this incident happened just days after the formal end of the state of emergency on April 13 sends quite a different message from criminals who clearly have not been daunted by the crime-control measure.

Piarco is a critical airport for this country and a key part of national infrastructure.

On Thursday, it was revealed to be a soft target for anyone with guns and intent. Mr Benjamin was quick to position the brazen killing in the context of a drop in the murder toll over the same period in 2023, but again, the police were operating with emergency powers since December 30, which should have skewed numbers in their favour.

What the acting CoP should have been talking about instead is the appointment of a policing team to address security weaknesses at the airport and at other points of critical infrastructure nationwide.

Much of the security in an international airport is turned inward to thwart threats crossing the tarmac and those systems must meet global aviation standards.

Shooting incidents in airports tend to be rare.

In 2017, 13 people were shot, five of them killed, when a lone shooter opened fire in the baggage claim area of Fort Lauderdale airport in the US.

Concerns were raised then about the level of security outside the filtered inner security zone of the airport.

Is there an ongoing programme of risk assessments, security audits and staging of tabletop exercises that evaluate potential weaknesses at Piarco International Airport and other critical installations?

Are security teams drilled on the specific requirements and weaknesses of the structures they are asked to guard?

If as Mr Benjamin insists, Thursday's killing was a crime of opportunity, then such opportunities should not be available at the airport in the future, and the security posture of other critical public institutions should be continuously reviewed.