I refer to the Malaysiakini report Five injured in KLIA shootout.

The people of Malaysia and foreigners who use the KL International Airport must be quite alarmed at the recent armed robbery at the main departure hall which involved gunfire and injuries apart from a loss of about US$1 million. Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), the company managing KLIA was subsequently blamed for lack of security. These comments are mostly unfair, misplaced and diverts attention from the real issues.

First of all, we must be clear that the incident took place in a public space, not on MAHB property. It seems so convenient to blame MAHB although that would be the height of unfairness. Imagine you being blamed for a robbery outside your house fence on the public road and being scolded for not having CCTV that records movements in the public space. Would that be fair? I want to ask the following questions to the police force that has conveniently hidden behind MAHB’s ‘skirt’.

1.Why was there no enhanced security at the airport if it was deemed to be as risky and important as was being mentioned after the incident?

2. What was the role and subsequent immediate response of the uniformed policemen stationed at the KLIA police beat?

3. What was the reaction of the traffic policemen at the departure hall? They apparently either were not there at that moment (they are almost always there issuing traffic summonses) or did not respond by pursuing the getaway car immediately upon the incident.

4. Why was there no rapid reaction by the police to shut down the toll booth which is located about 10 kilometres away from the departure hall? Even if the robbers had sped away at 160 km/hour (difficult for a BMW with six occupants), they would have taken about five minutes to reach the toll booth, by which time an alert could have been sent out to shut it down.

5. Why was there no response from patrol cars from around KLIA to seal off the other only escape route via the mosque to Putrajaya?

6. Why was there no response from the Police Air Wing?

7. Why was a policeman also moonlighting as a guard for the money transfer?

8. Why weren’t the police monitoring the CCTV of a public space of which they had authority and jurisdiction instead of expecting MAHB to do so?

9. Why did the police not carry out regular audits and spot checks on a MAHB premises to ensure that the CCTVs were working or recording? Why did this become a surprise to them?

10. Where were the plainclothes policemen or Special Branch officers? Surely they must always be there?

While the police force ponders on the above, let me state my views on MAHB security. All should understand that KLIA does not figure high on the radar screen for landside attacks, unlike UK airports for example. Security is managed on a ‘risk-basis’ i.e. the level of security anywhere in the world is set based on the estimated risk.

In Malaysia, which apparently is a transit point and in some people's opinion a ‘safe house’ for terrorists, the risk of land-side attacks on installations from international terrorists is not anywhere near, say Indonesia. Thus it is more relaxed. An armed robbery is not equal to a landside attack and does not mean the MAHB security people have not done their job in this instance.

On a similar note, I am sure that the recent incident of the knife-carrying passenger who went through MAHB security would be brought up as another example of poor security. To that, I ask your readers to ponder on the fact how I innocently managed to get a full large tube of Colgate through Heathrow security although they absolutely and very strictly prohibit liquids and gels and check hand luggage very thoroughly.

My answer is - security is not 100% and small incidents should be a lesson learnt but not used to victimise.