The so called security expose
What a silly story. It tells us nothing unusual.
Entered Eden Park during Thursday’s cricket international between New Zealand and Australia dressed as construction workers – wearing hard hats and reflector vests hired from a costume shop. Despite having no tickets or ID, the two reporters had unfettered access to construction areas and other restricted zones within the stadium
The getting in without a ticket is silly. Does the SST really think terrorists can’t afford to buy a ticket?
And the access to construction areas in a big yawn also. One could leave a bomb in a bathroom just as easily. And as I said yesterday, one could fake an ID given five minutes anyway.
I take it as a given that if someone really wanted to smuggle a bomb into a provincial rugby match, they could do so. The protection is that the probability of someone wanting to do so is miniscule.
If you really wanted to minimise someone getting a bomb in, you would have metal detectors, frisking of fans, passport level security for staff and contractors IDs etc etc. Now that level of security might be practical and justified for a Rugby World Cup match, but it is ridicolous for provincial rugby matches.
The Australian players are particularly concerned about security right now, following threats by al Qaeda against this month’s IPL tournament in India, and have demanded that rigid security be put in place before they take part in the tour.
And this is the key difference. The tour is in India. New Zealand is not India. India has a long history of violent rebels, of armed conflict, of lethal religious tensions, and in this case there have been specific threats.
If the Gore Liberation Front started shooting government officials, and threatened a campaign of bombings against rugby games, then I would expect security to change.
Took toy explosives and detonators, as well as alcohol, in a bag and on the body, into Waikato Stadium during the March 5 Chiefs-Reds Super 14 rugby game, with Red Badge security staff failing to search one reporter’s bag. He walked freely around all parts of the stadium, approached the Reds’ bench and shook hands with a team manager, entered the VIP corporate box area and spoke with boxer David Tua, got players including All Black Sitiveni Sivivatu to sign the bag containing the toy explosives and walked unchallenged through the players’ tunnel, getting within a metre of the changing rooms before finally being asked to leave by a security guard.
Oh wow. And one could also get within a metre of them at the after match bar the team goes out to. One could also get a fake bomb in a bag within a metre of the Prime Minister (no doubt their next stunt) at most of the many public engagements he undertakes.
New Zealand is not a country that has security based on paranoia. It is based on credible threat. I do not want to live in a country where I get x-rayed going to the local rugby match. Bizarrely, the Sunday Star-Times does.
March 14th, 2010 at 11:32 am
What fucking dicks. The press will be the bearers of their own misfortune, morons. I know nothing about journalism but a stunt like this will eventually tighten security. I bet the press enjoys excess to most well known Kiwis e.g “spoke with David Tau”, “Sitiveni Sivivatu” and “entered a VIP corporate box”. How long and how much freedom to NZ celebrities does the press expect to enjoy when security becomes the number one issue. Can’t report the news if you can’t get the story.
March 14th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Jonathan Marshall, (ex presenter on Queer Nation), same reporter who stalked Mike Hosking, and the same reporter who took a fake gun and knife on to a plane
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/news/261643
this guy obviously needs the special attention he’s crying out for
March 14th, 2010 at 11:40 am
It would be interesting to see what level of security they would like us to have, not only at rugby games, but at any sporting event.
Would that then mean we would have to sure both public and private building against attack as well.
What about trains and buses.
What fucking morons, only jouranlists could be stupid as this to make this a news story.
Maybe there should be a ban on jouranlists ever attending a sporting event ever.
March 14th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Could be, security might end up where all “journalists” cannot get access to any area without a letter from their boss.
March 14th, 2010 at 11:57 am
What total pull thrus. Was at Winter Olympics recently. To go up Whistler or Cypress you had to have bags scanned, walk through a scanner and take no liquids etc – just like boarding a plane. There were many of these facilities set up at the base of the mountains – all temporary for the Olympics.
It’s what you would expect these days. But I bet 18 months ago I could have just walked up the mountains.
In my opinion there was more chance of harm if the stadiums had to be evacuated because of these unintelligent yobs
March 14th, 2010 at 11:59 am
These fuckers will be the same people who will immediately write an article about the ‘unreasonable restriction of human rights’ when stricter security measures are in place and will criticise the govt for nannystate procedures…
March 14th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
So presumably the Sunday Star Times wants each venue they visited tightened up so they can no longer do what they did?
With friends like them who needs enemas?
March 14th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Captain Neurotic (59), I completely agree.
A story of nothing. Manufactured. This is what journalism has become.
March 14th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Then when ticket prices double or treble to pay for the security they demanded they will then go on about how the average Kiwi is being ripped off for ticket prices. These are the same idiots who complain about the fact that John Key has more security than Helen had. Morns total morons, no that is doing morons a disservice .
March 14th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Like what is the fucking point SST?
Make each venue tighter than a colossal squid’s arsehole and any terrorist will just take out a strategic power pylon anywhere between Haywards and Auckland.
March 14th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I have no doubt that the VIP services line in DIA has a task force devoted to security at the rugby world cup. – Fair enough there will be many celebrates and foreign dignitaries (i.e. targets). As DPF says, I wouldn’t want to be in a country that Xrays people going into rugby games – ridiculous!
March 14th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
If they tried bringing a fake bomb near the PM would they not run the risk of getting shot? after all the police body guards would open fire if they thought they had a suicide bomber on their hands.
March 14th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
We should be more concerned that NZ couldn’t stop another countries fishing fleet coming in and taking over the country..
March 14th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
So presumably this ridiculous stunt was authorised by the editor. Given the shrill righteous indignation of the paper to criticism I doubt the editor will resign.I have cancelled my subscription and expect a sacking.
March 14th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Bizarrely, the Sunday Star-Times does.
I think what they really want is to sell newspapers and, much like politicians, their objective is achieved by inventing problems, or taking small risks and pretending they are enormous.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Desperate SST – are sales so far down that they have to be smart assed to try such publicity?
I ignored the article today (along with the usual other regular pathetic writers.)
Nothing much to read actually for a Sunday.
I have stopped SST for over 6 months before and gone to the other one, but their are as desperate.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
The biggest threat to security is clearly journalists. Ban all the fuckwits from attending any live event and see how they squeal. We don’t need to have our papers full of this sort of self-serving nonsense; have long thought the SST is a crap newspaper, and this just confirms it.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
A few months a go I visited the offices where the SST is located.
AND NOBODY CHECKED ME FOR BOMBS!
They should set an example by installing metal detectors in the building, hiring 300 security guards and strip searching all journalists who come within 200m of the building.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
The SST has been advertising for an editor recently.
My understanding is that since the departure of Cate Brett, the SST and the Sunday Snooze shared a managing editor between them.
I can only wonder how the SST fared in finding a new editor and what impact it might have on the content of the SST.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
The thing is that this is a serious issue, ok these news papers dont prove much that isnt already obvious: that is that when terrorists come to nz they will have no problems with such missions if they choose.
And with us(NZ) putting our selves on the map by sending our SAS professional hunt and kill boys to afganistan then to me theres no doubt that terrorists will come to NZ.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
the weak justification for the SST doing this is that we should live in fear. if we do that the terrorists have won. nice one sst, you’re intrepid journalism is just a sham front for the fact you are cowards.
March 14th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Class A fuckwits.
On Friday night, I went to Alexandra Park for the trots. I was sitting ~3 metres from John Key whilst we were having dinner.
Had I been a sadistic muslim fucker I could very easily have carried any manner of deadly weapons in there and set them off. Not a single ounce of security.
Next weekend, I expect the SST to do a full expose on this breach of security I made.
Fuckin jerks, can’t even go out and do some real investigative journalisim, instead opt for a sensationalist manufactured story. I for one, will never but their low rent crap again.
March 14th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I haven’t bought a copy of the SST for some time – since before the 2008 election. This “invention” of news simply suggests to me that I made a very wise decision.
March 14th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
So the “news” hits a new low. Talk about making a story out of nothing.
Mindless drivel at its worst. In fact it is difficult to concisely fisk such an appalling abuse of rumoured journalistic integrity. Putting to one side the insanity of such a “test” the way in which quotes and “concerns” are interwoven into this non story is appalling. Australians worried about the IPL security? Um yeah, so? And various push quotes from world cup sources to attempt to show there is legitimate concern. Bollocks.
So what have they done? Wondered around a couple of stadiums with a backpack on. What have they proven? That if you are a suicide bomber you can cause havoc at rugby games? Thanks for that, no one would have been able to grasp that without you. Perhaps next week they should wonder around some malls with back packs and point out the security defects there or virtually any where else in NZ.
So now having pointed out that bleedingly obvious what is the net result? Public interest? Hardly. At best they’ve pointed out the obvious to terrorists who probably have no interest anyway and caused some unnecessary fear amongst future patrons to the RWC. At worst security will be boosted costing taxpayers money to close a stable door that was never needed.
What a bunch of self-serving egotists.
March 14th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
“The biggest threat to security is clearly journalists.”
I know what you’re trying to say, and I agree with that, but in reality, terrorists and journalist feed off each other.
Without the journalist giving maximum publicity to the terrorist, the terrorists acts would lose most of their effectiveness.
Without the Terrorist committing terrorism, so many journalists would have nothing to attract readership, as these lame insipid arrogant fuckers at the SST have demonstrated so well.
Terrorism is a self serving partnership between pathological murderers and today’s cowardly scumbag news media.
March 14th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Can we just deport these prats to Britain? The quality of their journalism and the desire to live under fascism would indicate they’d love it.
March 14th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
mattyroo
“Had I been a sadistic muslim fucker”
its fucking arse hole pieces of shit like you mate that are responsible for many problems you fucking arse hole, generalisations like this are shocking and make me wonder what problems they will cause for me in my later years and my childrens years when Islam becomes the number one religion in the world and muslim comunities become more than 50 percent of nations(western). How do you expect them to act when fucking peiece of shit mother fucker cocksucking arse holes like you make these bullshit generalizations.
if you think my reaction is xtreem, its not, i can almost bet you somebody else reads your shit and considers doing more than just typing.
P.S. did i say you are a fucking arse hole.
But hey if you are inviting hostility towards our nation and ethnicity as you have shown to other ethnic/religious groups then you are succeding, but it will be people like you that i will hold responsible if/when the shit hits the fan one day. For me you are equal to nazi skinheads.
March 14th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
By their actions the individuals involved in this episode should be banned from the venues where they carried out their wee pranks. After all streakers (who are clearly not hiding explosive vests) getted banned from future entry. The stadium management can enforce this action now. Perhaps punish the SST by banning their legit journos entry also by way of a punishment. This would be a reward for their competitors having good behaviour. Childish, perhaps so but it seems that these people can’t even behave as well as children
However, the greatest pain that can be inflicted on them is to make them pay to enter and ban them from any corporate box. Never know they just might constitute a threat to guests.
March 14th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
I was tempted to make a comment wondering why, given the childish stupidity of this stunt, they didn’t also hire the costumes of an Indian chief, a policeman, a cowboy and a biker. However given Patrick Starr’s revelations as to the origins of the “journalist” responsible that’d be politically incorrect, so I shan’t.
March 14th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
I will no longer be buying the SST.
What drivel.
You’d think they’d smuggled a nuke the way they have over dramatised this.
Next, they’ll be smuggling a plastic spoon onto an air nz link flight and dedicating section one to lax Air NZ security.
March 14th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
A fitting companion to the other story on the SST front page; detailing the shocking theft of a rabbit owned by the daughter of a washed-up minor musician from the ’80s. When did this appalling crime occur? …. over a decade ago! What unbelievable tripe.
March 14th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Menace
It’s because of gutless cowards like you that this will happen:
” …..when Islam becomes the number one religion in the world and muslim comunities become more than 50 percent of nations(western).”
March 14th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
ah, c’mon. those posts by “menace” have to be parody. nobody’s that whacked.
March 14th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Here comes menace and his witechoss indygnashun.
Oppose the usurption of power by a violent, backwards cult or take it up the arse, the latter of which appears to be the course menace wud liek 2 tyk.
March 14th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
The story is more than silly. It’s an outrage. I could drive a van full of fake explosives up to the front of the beehive tomorrow lunchtime, passing dozens of office workers sitting on the lawn eating their sushi and sandwitches. I could take a real gun and a real knife into any one of hundreds of government offices in the country. I know where the Hurricanes train, and I know where two or three of them live. I could take a suitcase full of horse shit onto a commuter bus. And so on. Where’s the story?
One of the brilliant things about living here is we don’t have ‘security’ in our faces, and don’t need it. We have security because of size, location, and a benign foreign policy, and all this ‘story’ will result in is pressure on policitians to increase hassle at sports grounds. Great to see Collins telling them to piss off.
HoS – twats. Editors and whoever else signed this off in the hope of a few extra sales – if you like living in a fear-driven society then the UK, US, etc. will love your work – feck off, don’t let the door hit you on the arse on the way out, and don’t come back.
March 14th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Ooops – HoS != SST.
Eh, sorry to HoS. [Retires shame-faced]
March 14th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
If they entered the grounds without a ticket can someone report them to the police, laying a few charges may encourage them not to try this again.
March 15th, 2010 at 12:49 am
Just thought I would let you know I am back in business.
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There’s a few little things to iron out but much for you to enjoy already.
Do drop in to say hello!
All the best
Fairfacts Media
March 15th, 2010 at 7:30 am
If I saw a guy with what looked like a bomb in a crowded place, I would think my life was in danger, and not knowing if he was going to detonate it or not would crush his skull with the nearest heavy object. The guy is lucky that he didn’t get hurt.
March 15th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
A classic example of media attempting to implant fear and uncertainty where there need not be. Makes you wonder what their true motives are.
March 16th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
A great example of the difference between reporting the news, and trying to create the news. So much of modern journalism is based upon press releases, or creating such stories, rather than finding insightful or interesting things that really should be shared with the wider populace, and reporting on them. This morning I saw a statistic that said something along the lines of a recent Australian study finding 40-50 per cent of news stories (out of 2000+ surveyed) were based largely on press releases. It’s what a lot of journalism, unfortunately, has come to. Sigh.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Although i do agree the report itself is without doubt a rather flagrant attempt to create hystria and above all else sell newspapers, i do think the arcticle in someways has merit.
The journalists where without doubt very lucky to escape this escapade uninjured and i am in someways grateful that security employees at these sites is so pitiful they were niether discovered nor apprehended.
If this attempt had been made in many other countries i can think of they would very possibly had met with a 9mm, as many countries are operating a shot to kill procedure once a positive Id on suicide bombers has been made.
It does however highlight the rather pitiful “security” procedures currently being employed by a vast majority of security companies within NZ and the lack of training and low skill level of those companies employees.
I would also highlight that one spokesman for a stadium involved stated the security was there to prevent alcohol from being brought into events, i would wonder if inert IED’s are being smuggled into these buildings without detection how much alcohol and drugs are being brought to these family events.
Security within NZ and the companies operating them have much to learn, the “perception of security” is a phrase used a lot within the industry, The “perception of security” itself does not secure anything, neither does it provide a safe enviroment for those attending these events or similar events, the perception of security amounts to placing and unskilled, untrained, and unmotivated individual into a High Vis vest and expecting those with mischief on there mind to be dazzled by yellow, The only thing this achieves is the Employer (the security company) rents this individual out for $25 an hour and pays him $13-$15 an hour. Security is a lucrative buisness in NZ and unfortunately one of very low standards.
NZ is not a known target for terrorism or an obvious one, however relevant agencies involved in the upcoming World Cup should not allow this to lull them into a false sense of “security”.
It is the very nature of terrorist’s to attack such “soft targets” and most current security companies within NZ are far from being in a position to provide adequate protection as this “expose” clearly showed.
My hope is that the operators of these stadiums will recognise this, act accordingly employ companies with higher standards of training and skill levels and the World Cup and surrounding celebrations will pass without incident.