News / Finnie’s laser warning
SHETLAND’S high volume of small aircraft movements puts it at “heightened risk” from laser pen attacks, a Highlands and Islands MSP has warned.
John Finnie, the Scottish Greens’ justice spokesman who is the party’s top list candidate in the forthcoming election, called on the Scottish Government to tighten the law on lasers after a Scottish search-and-rescue helicopter was targeted and a London-New York flight turned back following laser attacks.
Finnie said he had written to justice minister Michael Matheson and Lord advocate Frank Mulholland QC requesting an urgent review of the law on sale and possession of laser pens. He is also calling for improved technology to enable police to identify culprits and protect aircraft.
“The danger posed by laser pen attacks on aircraft is not a new one,” Finnie said, “but they do seem to be increasingly frequent and more powerful lasers are more easily available than ever before.
“Just a fortnight before the widely-reported incident on Sunday that forced a Virgin Atlantic flight to turn back, the coastguard helicopter operating from Inverness Airport was targeted while conducting a search.
“Good fortune and expert flying skills prevented what could have been a major disaster.
“Island communities rely more heavily on air travel than mainland ones, and Sumburgh Airport handles small aircraft operating at low altitudes. The very real threat that laser-pen attacks pose to Shetland’s air safety demands urgent action.
“I’ve asked the justice secretary and the Lord Advocate to undertake an urgent review of the law. The law must reflect the seriousness of this crime and its horrific potential consequences and it must address the wide availability of powerful lasers.
“I’m also calling for a multi-agency effort to improve our technical ability to locate the source of laser-pen attacks. We must not wait for a catastrophic loss of life before taking action on this dangerous crime.”
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