Kiwis hiring own security consultants for CWG

Netball New Zealand (NNZ), Hockey New Zealand (HNZ) and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) have hired independent security consultants ahead of next month's Delhi Commonwealth Games.

According to The New Zealand Herald, NNZ and HNZ have joined forces with their Australian counterparts in hiring Control Risks, a Sydney-based operation that specializes in assisting people who work in potentially hostile environments.

The New Zealand Federation of Athletes (NZFA) has also written to the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) reiterating concerns over security during the tournament, starting on October 3.

"We believe we need enough personnel embedded within the team to make sure the security promises of the Delhi police are kept, and who are qualified to be on the lookout for potential danger," the newspaper quoted Rob Nichol, NZFA manager, as saying.

"Team managers and athletes don't know what to look for. Our belief is we need people who are qualified to be there supporting the team," he added.

Meanwhile, NNZ Chief Executive Raelene Castle said that the team would be in Singapore for a camp before flying to New Delhi.

"We have that halfway measure that we could always turn round and come home from Singapore. We'll be constantly monitoring it right up until they go to New Delhi," Castle said. 

"We want to be able to make sure we can say, with hands on our hearts, when we send our team that we've done the most thorough investigation that we can," he added.