[asia-apec 1048] APEC 99: Auckland Security

[Gatt Watchdog]

New Zealand Herald 13-14 March 1999
P1
Police out to thwart snipers
By Tony Wall

The huge Apec security operation is already buzzing Auckland
(Photograph: EYE IN THE SKY: An Air Force Iroquois helicopter
skirted the Sky Tower and other central city high-rises yesterday
as Apec security preparations gather pace)

Police marksmen are seeking out potential snipers' nests in
central Auckland to prevent an assassination during the Apec
conference.

Armed offenders squad officers are also securing strategic
positions in office buildings opposite hotels where world leaders
will stay, so they can station sharpshooters in the event of
trouble.

An Air Force Iroquois helicopter was used yesterday on a training
flight linked with Apec preparations.  It was seen hovering close
to several high-rise buildings.

With six months to go before the conference, police are
methodically going through buildings, from basement to rooftop,
preparing a register of vantage points.

It is part of a huge security operation that will involve
emergency services and the armed forces.

During a visit last month, the FBI director, Judge Louis Freeh,
warned New Zealand to be on guard, saying the conference here
would be "a target of opportunity".

One building police checked is Krukziener House in Albert St,
opposite the Stamford Plaza hotel, which will host some of the 21
world leaders expected.

Grant Hoskins, general manager of 2001 Internet Travel, which
occupies space on the first floor, said police had surveyed his
office as it had an almost perfect line of sight into the hotel
foyer. "We're an ideal sniper's spot".

Mr Hoskins said an armed offender squad officer used binoculars to
survey the streets, recording angles and distances.

He also asked for contact details of office keyholders but added
that that did not really matter, "because if we had to get in
there we'd just break the doors down."

The Operation Apec commander Detective Superintendent Peter
Marshall, said the inspections covered all aspects of buildings'
security.

Other security measures included restriction of public access to
certain areas and road closures for motorcades.

All police leave would be cancelled during the conference, and
court cases and training postponed.

The Navy will have a 100-strong decontamination force stationed on
a frigate to foil any chemical weapons attack by terrorists.

And a parliamentary select committee is considering legislation
that would allow foreign agents to carry handguns.

ENDS

Letters To the Editor
letters at herald.co.nz