What is a crowded place?
Crowded places are locations that large numbers of people access easily and predictably. They include: sporting arenas; transport hubs and public transport; buildings and offices; schools; shopping centres; restaurants, hotels, theatres and other entertainment venues; community festivals and markets; places of worship; tourist attractions; and civic spaces. Crowded places also include open spaces like busy urban streets, parks and pedestrian malls.
A crowded place is not necessarily always crowded: the density of the crowd may vary between day and night, and between seasons; the crowd may be temporary (such as sporting events, festivals, concerts or one-off functions).
What do I do if there is an attack?
- Move quickly and quietly away from danger, but only if it is safe to do so.
- Stay out of sight and silence your mobile phone.
- Call the police by calling 111 when safe.
All situations are different. You will need to make quick decisions during an attack and be prepared to change your plan. Remembering ESCAPE. HIDE. TELL. will help you decide what to do. For more detail check out the know what to do page.
Responsibility
All New Zealanders are responsible for helping to detect and prevent attacks in crowded places. Everyone who works in, or uses, a crowded place should be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious or unusual behaviour to authorities.
In an emergency everyone should call 111
If the information is not time-critical, people can report suspicious or unusual behaviour by:
- completing a report at 105.police.govt.nz or calling New Zealand Police’s non-emergency number 105
- visiting their nearest Police station
- calling Crimestoppers if you wish to remain anonymous on 0800 555 111
To report information of national security concern, call the NZSIS on 0800 747 224 or use their Public Contribution Form.
What if I know or see something: who do I tell?
All New Zealanders are responsible for helping to detect and prevent attacks in crowded places. Everyone who works in, or uses, a crowded place should be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious or unusual behaviour to authorities.
In an emergency everyone should call 111
If the information is not time-critical, people can report suspicious or unusual behaviour to their local Police by:
- completing a report at 105.police.govt.nz or phoning New Zealand Police’s non-emergency number 105
- visiting their nearest Police station
- calling Crimestoppers if you wish to remain anonymous on 0800 555 111
To report information of national security concern, call the NZSIS on 0800 747 224 or use their Public Contribution Form.
I am running a business or planning an event that will gather a crowd. What information is available to help me?
As an owner or operator you are responsible for assessing the risks and vulnerabilities of your crowded place.
On this website’s Prepare your crowded place page you will find a number of useful documents to assist you to understand the main factors that influence where an attack may be planned.
In addition there is information designed for people attending crowded places which you may wish to make available for the people who will be at your location. Read more at know what to do in the unlikely event of being caught up in an attack.
Over time, additional information will be added to this website. We recommend you refer to it often to ensure you are kept up to date with any other supporting information that may be of use/value to you.
What can I do to protect myself and others at my crowded place?
If you own or operate a crowded place read the Protecting Our Crowded Places from Attack: New Zealand’s Strategy, and supporting documentation on the Prepare your crowded place page on this website.
Ensure that the message: ESCAPE. HIDE. TELL. is shared and understood by all staff members (permanent, casual, security, special event, volunteers and services). For more detail check out the know what to do page.
Make sure you and your staff are familiar with the emergency and evacuation plans for your workplace.
Consider having your staff attend first aid courses.
Review your security measures, emergency and evacuation plans. Rehearse them, update if necessary, and make sure every member of your staff knows what to do.
If you have security CCTV cameras, make sure they are working properly, check that the time and date are correct, and retain the recordings as they may be of use to Police in the future.
Over time, additional information will be added to this website. We recommend you refer to it regularly to ensure you are kept up to date with any other supporting information that may be of use/value to you.
What is being done to engage owners and operators of crowded places?
Protecting Our Crowded Places from Attack: New Zealand’s Strategy informs how existing partnerships will be levered between New Zealand organisations to build awareness of the risks, and increase resilience to attacks.
To better protect crowded places in an evolving-threat environment, the Government, New Zealand Police and its partners (local governments, owners and operators of crowded places, and communities) need to work together and share information with each other. Their ability to do this effectively relies on strong partnerships.
They are:
Crowded Places Advisory Group New Zealand (CPAGNZ)
The CPAGNZ’s members are representatives of government agencies that are responsible for protecting New Zealand’s crowded places. The CPAGNZ reports to the Counter Terrorism Coordinating Committee.
Business Advisory Group New Zealand (BAGNZ)
The BAGNZ’s members will represent New Zealand business groups. The BAGNZ provides advice and guidance to the CPAGNZ.
Community Advisory Group New Zealand (CAGNZ)
The CAGNZ’s members will represent New Zealand community groups. The CAGNZ provides advice and guidance to the CPAGNZ.
These groups will contribute insights and ideas gathered from the sector they represent, related to making New Zealand’s crowded places more resilient. It is expected that these groups will disseminate appropriate information to the sector they represent. This information may be shared directly or by directing people to new information on the New Zealand Police website.
They will also look to communicate with owners and operators through existing forums run in local areas in order to share information and lessons learned from others.
This site also has resources for owners and operators to assist them in making their crowded place more resilient. Refer to Protecting Our Crowded Places from Attack: New Zealand’s Strategy for information and the Prepare your crowded place page to assist you with assessing your vulnerability and planning to ensure the safety of people attending at your crowded place.
I need to engage a private security professional; what do I need to think about to ensure I get someone with the right skills and experience?
Private security professionals play a central role in protecting crowded places.
In many cases, private security professionals - including security consultants and contractors, risk analysis and threat assessment experts and private security officers - are directly responsible for strengthening the protective security of crowded places. They must be well-trained and professional to be effective.
Implementing effective protective security
Implementing protective security measures can be a complex process which, if done incorrectly, can be costly and ineffective.
The documents and tools on this website provide a starting point for owners and operators to undertake a protective security assessment of their crowded place, implement the appropriate mitigations, monitor them for effectiveness (including thorough audits) and review them at appropriate times. In many cases, owners and operators will need to seek further advice from private security professionals.
Assessing security consultants?
The following are factors that owners and operators of crowded places should consider when selecting a security consultant:
- licenced or certified as a private security provider
- education, qualifications, skills, and experience
- referee reports
- security clearance (where required/appropriate)
- professional association and affiliations
- previous experience conducting security reviews
- ability to effectively undertake the security review (subject matter knowledge)
- impartiality of advice (consider any commercial affiliations)
- published professional work
Specific skills and experience to consider may include:
- security strategy and planning
- security auditing
- risk and threat mitigation
- protecting different types of crowded places e.g. shopping malls, large office complexes, transport hubs, festivals, events and mass gatherings
- capability to offer training for you and your staff
I have completed all or some of the Self-Assessment, Protective Security Assessment and Security Audit tools: what are the next steps?
As you will have noticed when you completed the tool documents there is guidance under “Next Steps” at the end of each document depending on the level of risk you have determined. It is recommended you follow those guidelines which include options to review further safety advice on the Police website, engage private security specialists or to contact your local Police for further assistance, depending on the level of vulnerability you identified.