Cricket: State of security bigger 'n Texas

When it comes to serious, gun-toting security, South Africa would have few peers in the Western world, apart from possibly Texas.

If the World Cup organisers were hoping to stage their event in a place where armed security and blaring sirens was already a way of life, they couldn't have picked a better host nation than the Republic - where the presence of firearms doesn't usually raise an eyebrow.

Concerns over the safety of players has overflowed into an oppressive regime that treats all members of the public and media as potential terrorists, making the task of getting into the match venues about as straight-forward as the Duckworth-Lewis system.

Some of New Zealand's main airports wouldn't have the resources that have been put aside for this tournament, including mobile x-ray security checks on all baggage, metal-detector scans and another physical search of luggage, a routine that creates lengthy delays outside most grounds.

Not even the notorious security at Wellington's Cake Tin could compete with this.

Anyone who brings their car to the ground has to fill in endless forms, drive up on blocks so the undercarriage can be inspected for possible bombs and satisfy hordes of policemen of their validity.

There are those who get a bit frustrated with the sideshow and repeated stoppages, but few are likely to start arguing with a group of grim-looking lawmen, all carrying dirty great pistols, batons that look like baseball bats, and other nasty surprises, going by the sinister bulges in their pockets.

These guys are almost twitching for action, which makes you wonder whether it's a good idea to have such an obvious armed presence, as if there is nothing more dangerous than a group of died-in-the-wool cricket enthusiasts, ranging in age from the very young to the very old.

The only fun aspect to all of this is when some members of the media are invited into the team motorcade for a 120km/h rush to and from the venues, an exhilarating experience given you don't often get the chance crash red lights at full-throttle.

And when it comes to what you can and cannot bring into the ground, organisers are making sure no stone is left unturned.

It tells you something about this place that they feel the need to advise patrons against bringing in a range of personal weapons, such as firearms (only the police, please), ammunition, knives, nunchakus, baseball bats, mace and something called "traditional weapons" - spears and the like.

Given the celebratory scenes on the sub-continent it was possibly easier to understand the need to warn people against bringing rockets or flares into the venues, along with incendiary devices and explosives, although the last clause on the restricted items agenda seems to cover everything - "No dangerous or disruptive goods allowed".

Apart from the safety and security aspect of the tournament, the other main concern for organisers is the event sponsors, who have apparently forked out hundreds of millions to be aligned with the cup, and are understandably touchy about being ambushed.

Woe betide anyone who attempts to slip through the gate with a Coca-Cola logo on anything in their possession, so sensitive are the organisers towards protecting their main beverage sponsor, Pepsi.

And no one entering a venue is allowed to bring in any form of cold drink or non-alcoholic beverage, no matter what container it is in.

An angry patron wrote a letter to his local newspaper this week, describing a scene at one venue where his 11-year-old son was relieved of his orange juice and sun-screen by zealous officials, and ended up arriving home after the match parched and badly sunburnt.

Not only are the organisers anxious to protect the market for their sponsors, they have also succeeded in bringing in a temporary by-law which makes it a criminal offence to intentionally detract from approved advertisers.

That means that a group who stand in a line with t-shirts spelling out COKE, might not only be ejected from the ground, but could also be charged and left with a steep fine.

The only respite comes in the form of the policy on guide-dogs, which will be permitted to enter the ground as long as they are accompanying a blind person.

As someone said yesterday, it means the umpires shouldn't have any problems.

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