Mackay Airport
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Nitro sniffs out trouble at airport

Nosing through bags and boxes is all in a day's work for three-year-old Nitro - Queensland's latest weapon against airport terrorism.

Nitro and handler Adam Zerner are key members of the Brisbane-based Regional Rapid Deployment Team formed under the Federal Government's $20 million Securing Our Regional Skies program.

Nitro's snout was put to the test at Mackay Airport on Saturday as part of a familiarisation exercise conducted with Mackay Port Authority personnel and Mackay police.

Nothing was detected but the exercise gave the "lab" a good workout as she bounded over boxes and bags, much to the surprise of waiting passengers. Nitro comes well credentialed – she's trained to detect more than 19 000 military and commercial explosive mixtures including weapons.

Team leader Sergeant Steve Cooke said the Australian Federal Police currently had four specially trained units in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.

"Our visit to Mackay has given us an opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the airport and discuss issues with stakeholders – as well as undertake patrols, but basically we are an intelligence unit.

"Our objectives are twofold – to provide a national response capability able to conduct short notice, intelligence driven and threat based operational deployments to regional airports and to conduct routine patrols to provide proactive deterrence against terror threats to regional aviation."

Mackay Airport operations manager Ray Waters said it was important the team familiarised itself with the airport in the event of a major security threat.

"A lot of people were a little surprised to see the dog and armed officers patrolling the airport, but I guess it's a sign of the times," he said.

Mr Waters said the deployment team would make regular visits to Mackay to conduct patrols and operational exercises.