Training in security and service

Before a person can call him- or herself a security officer at Copenhagen Airport, he or she must undergo six months of theoretical and practical training. The training is organised by Copenhagen Airport and approved by the authorities to ensure compliance with the relevant EU rules and regulations.

Training in airport security begins with a six-week module during which employees learn about the regulatory requirements underlying the work performed by the Security Department. Training days are divided between theoretical lessons in the morning and practical work in the afternoon.

The first six weeks of the training programme ends with a theoretical test that must be passed before the trainee can go on to the next part of the programme, which runs for four and a half months during which the trainees obtain practical experience and rehearse how to perform certain security-related tasks.

The second part of the programme is on-the-job training, when employees are trained in security work in practice. During the programme, the employees work as part of a team and handle the same tasks as other security officers, but they are under the constant supervision of experienced colleagues or instructors so that they can improve their skills.
The six-month security training programme ends with a practical test, after which the employees are certified as security officers.

Security and service

During the training programme, employees are told how important it is to provide good service, as the security checkpoint is often the first time a passenger comes into contact with Copenhagen Airport staff.

"I usually say that a security check has been successful when passengers forget that they have gone through security after a few minutes,” Kristiansen adds, describing good security officers as “employees who can provide airport security in compliance with EU regulatory requirements and can also  provide security services with a smile to passengers.

Supplementary training

Supplementary training is an important part of a security officer’s workday, enabling him or her to remain up to date with and to adapt procedures to new regulatory requirements. Employees are informed of new security measures at their daily briefings. In addition, all security staff take supplementary training courses for one to two days a year.

Copenhagen Airport’s security team: Passengers often meet the airport security team at the security checkpoints in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, where Terminal and Passenger Security (Danish acronym: STP) officers screen passengers and baggage.   The less visible part of the Security Department’s work is performed inside and outside the airside area, where the staff of the Surveillance and Area Security Department (Danish acronym: SVO) patrol round the clock in order to ensure that there is a calm and orderly atmosphere in the airport area.   SVO officers also provide security services in connection with events such as state visits, EU summits and other VIP events. Another SVO task is bird and game regulation at the airport, which is intended to prevent collisions between birds and aircraft. The security team also includes administrative staff and the Operational Centre.