Commentary on Sections Part 9: Aviation Security Section 87 Air cargo agent: documents
189.By regulations under Section 21F of the Aviation Security Act 1982, the Secretary of State operates a listing system for security approved air cargo agents. Such agents are allowed to apply security controls to cargo before it is passed to an airline for carriage. To be added to the list, a cargo agent must be able to demonstrate that he has the capability to meet security criteria set down by the Secretary of State. However, there has been no offence of pretending to have been approved by DTLR to operate as a security approved air cargo agent.
190.The section inserts into the 1982 Act a new section 21FA, to create a new offence of issuing a document which falsely claims to come from a security approved air cargo agent. This is a summary offence, attracting a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment or a fine not exceeding £5,000 (level 5) on the standard scale, or both.