As crowds watch games, cameras will watch crowds

Photo / APN

Cameras aimed at fans in Rugby World Cup crowds will record live footage to be fed into a central base, where it will be watched by police during games as part of crowd control.

Officers and technical experts are in the process of setting up a network of cameras which see footage from 13 stadiums throughout the country sent to the RWC "hub" at Police National Headquarters in Wellington.

Other efforts to control spectators include liquor bans which will be in place within a radius of Eden Park and North Harbour Stadium during matches.

There will also be a 24-7 liquor ban along Queen St, Karangahape Rd, Great North Rd and Bond St - a known walking route for tourists.

The officer in charge of Operation Rugby World Cup, Superintendent Grant O'Fee, said some footage would be recorded, with the potential to help police make prosecutions if required.

Or, it would be used to send security staff to identify badly behaved spectators.

Split screens will show images from several different cameras at each ground. "It gives us an idea of exactly how things are going," Mr O'Fee said.

Mr O'Fee, who is heading a team of five, said that although the operation was overseeing an international competition, it was not the biggest police had run.

"It's not the biggest security operation we've managed by a long chalk. Apec in '99 would kill this 20 times over and the Springbok tour in 1981 was a far, far bigger operation than this will be.

"But having said that it has its own challenges, being 13 different venues."

Mr O'Fee said another challenge was the concentration of fans expected to converge on Wellington and Christchurch for quarter-finals, then Auckland for the semis and finals.

"On several occasions, we have four test matches in one day and that has its own challenges. For that reason, we're not looking to concentrate staff in one place, we're looking to keep staff other than specialist groups in their various districts to police these games."

Mr O'Fee said police staff - aside from specialist groups he would not identify - would not be moved about for the job, as is often the case for large operations. Each police district would staff its own area.

"Auckland is a big focus in that last couple of weeks but we're constantly keeping an eye on the fact that out biggest issues may not be where a game is. Our biggest issue might be at a live site that goes bad on us."

Police were working with RWC 2011 to find out how many live sites - venues set up in different cities for people to congregate to view games - there would be and where.

Mr O'Fee and other police managing the operation are hopeful that most spectators will be in good spirits and there to make the most of the game.

"We've got a lot of people paying a lot of money so it's probably going to mitigate it to an extent.

As for whether he gets to enjoy any of the action, Mr O'Fee is realistic.

"I will not see one game. I am going to be on the 15th floor of headquarters at our base ... I'm pretty happy. I've got no complaints."

TEST A REHEARSAL FOR 2011

* Tonight's All Blacks vs Springboks match will be used by transport authorities as a rehearsal for next year's Rugby World Cup.

* Special-event trains leave Britomart every 10 to 20 minutes to Kingsland from 4.23pm until 6.58pm.

* Normal hourly trains will call at Newmarket and other stops but spectators should catch free special-event buses at other times from Newmarket and Mt Eden Rd.

* Trains leaving Kingsland for Britomart every five to seven minutes between 9.15pm and 10.30pm.

* Rugby fans who want to go to Newmarket should catch free buses from the new Eden Park transport terminal across from Altham Ave.

* From 10.39pm to 11.39pm, trains will leave Kingsland every 20 minutes, calling at all stops to Britomart.