Dave Ghani, the man responsible for Channel Tunnel security, talked to our regular contributor Una Riley in our April 2001 print issue about security in terms of an ‘onion’ – and that has nothing to do with the French.
Dave is the person who keeps the ‘show on the tracks’, Deputy Director for Service Delivery. He is a delightful chap who enthuses about his time with Eurotunnel. A chartered engineer, he has spent most of his working life involved with the Channel Tunnel. His career followed a traditional engineer’s route, working first on site for the construction project on a major nuclear power station, then in a design office in London. Later, with several secondments as planning engineer on other projects behind him, he moved to the design team for the Channel Tunnel. He has been engaged there on a variety of engineering, planning and operational jobs since 1985. I asked Dave about his current role. “I am responsible for the management co-ordination of operational activity on EuroTunnels Folkestone and Calais/Coquelles Terminals which employ some 1,700 staff, operating freight and passenger vehicle shuttles 24 hours a day. I am also in control of the operational security arrangements on the Folkestone Terminal, providing round the clock access control, guarding, perimeter patrols and CCTV surveillance and monitoring for the 350-hectare site. I am very lucky to have seen the project through from the start, from a blank sheet of paper to now. I have seen it develop from a ‘green Field’ site to the largest piece of infrastructure in civil engineering. I have been here virtually man and boy and know it inside out, from design to the commissioning process”.
So what about security, how do you feel about that side of your business? “I love it, we have had to meet many challenges, not least the fire in 1996. We deal with all aspects of security here. We even have our own Terminal Police Force, with a permanent police station, and enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with the Kent Constabulary. Their main duties are public order, counter-terrorism and response”.
We went on to talk about issues that can’t be published for obvious reasons, certain measures that are in place that make the EuroTunnel the safe environment that it is. I asked Dave how he operated the massive project. “We introduced a high standard of security from day one. Therefore, procedures are in place that enable us to go about our business. However, unlike other commercial organisations the access availability is restricted. We have zones that are only accessible to certain people. An analogy that I often use is that of an ‘onion’. Multi-layered and difficult to peel…without tears. We make movement easy for people that are allowed into various zones but difficult for people to access areas that are out of bounds to them. We have 250 CCTV cameras around the site and constantly review our surveillance needs. We continually research the market and investigate all new technology. At present we are replacing our current system.” I asked Dave if they had considered digital systems. “Of course, we have overt and covert security measures in place that are the highest technology. We are also currently in the tender process concerning our manned guarding contract. We are well down the line and hope to issue the new contract in July. As I said we are in a constant review process.” We chatted at length about the various aspects of systems security from biometrics access control to digital CCTV. However, I was interested when Dave went on to explain that part of the review was the replacement of a scanning machine that originally cost around £5 million. It can scan a lorry akin to the ones that scan luggage at airports: “It is an invaluable aid.” Which brought me onto the latest hot topics, illegal immigration and the outbreak of foot and mouth.
“Eurotunnel has implemented a number of measures, not least the fact that we have dug up the road and created a wheel wash pit containing disinfectant. All trucks, cars and coaches leaving Folkestone terminal and arriving in France have to drive through the ‘pit’. Eurotunnel customers are being told that they cannot export dairy and meat products. It is so serious that a ham sandwich is on the ‘Most Wanted’ list, but seriously we are spending a lot of time checking.” All food served to truck drivers on Eurotunnels freight shuttles and to customers visiting the club lounges is produced in France. I can’t help but feel sorry for the plight of our farmers at the moment, but that is another subject. “What about illegal immigration, that seems to be a massive problem?” I asked. “Eurotunnel has been at the forefront for many months in an attempt to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the UK. Thanks to the measures we have introduced we are currently preventing in the region of 100 to 150 people from entering the country illegally every night. Potentially preventing some 50,000 a year. However, we are not immigration services. The issue of illegal immigrants who then seek asylum is a social problem, not a transport problem, and is clearly for the Government to address at a European level. Eurotunnel has called on the governments of both the UK and France to address quickly the underlying problem of the huge numbers of people seeking illegal entry into the UK. Many of the stowaways that we have caught have made multiple attempts to cross the channel with different operators. Those apprehended state that they will make repeated attempts to enter the UK until they are successful. Eurotunnel have expressed concern for the safety of these stowaways who are taking increasingly dangerous risks in their desperate bid to reach the UK. A man apparently seeking to enter the UK illegally was tragically killed on Eurotunnel’s French Terminal in February. As I mentioned we were the first cross channel operator to introduce CO2 checks for HGVs. We are the only cross-Channel operator to employ an X-ray machine for HGVs and under vehicle video cameras. Our perimeter fencing is 4.2 meters and includes a double roll of razor wire 1.8 meters high. We patrol the perimeter regularly both by Eurotunnel staff and the French authorities. The cost of these reinforced measures is approximately £2 million to date. We are preventing more illegal immigrants than anyone else. That has to be a testimony to the effectiveness of the company’s security procedures.” At the end of our interview it was easy to understand why Dave is so enthusiastic and proud of what has been created. The more you learn about the Channel Tunnel, the more fascinating it becomes. One thing is certain, the next time I poodle through for my wine and cheese, I will view it with the admiration and respect it deserves.
