Minister security breach incident: Huggins on job at Bradshaw Airport; Brantley looking into allegations

Several passengers departing St Kitts' Robert L Bradshaw International Airport on Saturday reported that airport security officer Coreen Huggins performed duties on Saturday. Other sources confirmed Huggins was on the job.

Huggins was catapulted into the local spotlight when she demanded that Federal Minister of Public Infrastructure, Post, Urban Development, Transport and Energy, Hon Ian Patches Liburd, who was not a travelling passenger comply with security procedures on April 6.

Minister Liburd is alleged to have breached security at the airport by walking through the metal detector and going straight to the door to enter the airside area of the airport without being checked.

In a leaked incident report to management, Huggins said she spoke to minister Liburd and told him that there was a procedure on entering the Access Control Point.

"To this the honourable minister Liburd replied 'procedure what.' He was not wearing a safety reflective vest when he was on the apron area at the RLB International Airport, said an unsigned letter from Lance Corporal Coreen Huggins.

Minister Liburd responding to a caller on a radio programme last week said the reported incident "was false."

Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris in response to the matter raised at his press conference last week dismissed the reports as rumour mongering.

At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism issued a travel advisory urging travelers using the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport in St Kitts and the Vance Amory International Airport in Nevis to comply with safety regulations.

On the weekend, WINNFM reported that Federal Minister of Aviation, Hon Mark Brantley said he is looking into allegations that ports minister Liburd may have been involved in a security breach at the Robert Bradshaw International Airport.

The Bradshaw airport is served by international flights from American Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines, Delta Airlines and Sun Country from the United States; Seaborne and Air Sunshine from the United States Virgin Islands; Air Canada from Toronto; British Airways from Gatwick-London; WINAIR from St Maarten and LIAT, the regional airline