Simulating for real: The why and how of security drills at the security checkpoint

Work at the airport security checkpoint is challenging because threat situations, for which security officers are primarily trained, happen rarely. It is therefore of high importance to raise awareness and have constant concentration. This paper analyses the work of a security officer with regard to psychological mechanisms and gives recommendations for quality-control programmes. This paper presents a new training concept, namely security drills, which are covert training cases embedded in real-life settings. Security drills build a bridge between training and testing integrated in a psychologically safe environment and create the opportunity for individual reflection. The paper introduces this training approach and gives recommendations on what to consider when developing new quality-control programmes.