The Ministry of Transport and Aviation in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Airports Authority, has informed the public that effective May 2012, Westminster Aviation Security Services (WASS), a division of the Westminster Group Plc, a British company which operates in forty-six countries worldwide, has assumed responsibility for aviation security.

According to a release from the ministry of Civil Aviation, specialists and highly effective substance detection dogs that are capable of detecting wide range of prohibited substances hidden in luggage and cargo, have been deployed at the airport to help in the security operations. This, according to reports, will enhance safety at the Freetown International Airport, under the oversight of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority. WASS will upgrade the existing security apparatus at Lungi Airport and introduces new detection and surveillance technologies both within the passenger and cargo terminals. Extensive national training of security personnel will be conducted to achieve international standards.WASS will also provide new technologies to protect the Airport and its perimeters. The process is part of the ministry’s moves to rebrand the country’s image.