Crowdguard is to build on the success of the company’s HVM deployment for the matches at three stadiums across New Zealand during last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, with Crowdguard New Zealand. The move, which also follows the HVM services the company provided for the One Love event, New Zealand’s high profile Reggae music festival, will bring Crowdguard’s services to the events industry, venue operators and security clients throughout New Zealand, Australia and the APAC region.
Deborah Ainscough, founder and director of Crowdguard comments: “Ever since the Women’s World Cup tournament, it has been clear that there was a need for a company with Crowdguard’s track record and expertise in New Zealand. Our Counter Terrorism & Risk Director, Russ Phillips, travelled to New Zealand to carry out the Threat, Vulnerability & Risk Assessment to inform the HVM specification, and our Installation Supervisor, Andy Ferris, not only spent time there to check the kit and supervised the installation but also trained local installation teams to ensure the deployment was delivered correctly.”
The kit and trained teams deployed by Crowdguard for the Women’s World Cup are still available down under. The team responsible for providing proportionate crowded places safety during the tournament – Crowdguard’s clients just a few months ago – are now rolling out their experience along with Crowdguard’s proven Plan, Provide, Protect approach as the directors of Crowdguard New Zealand.
Calum Nicholson and Jason Malcolm, who will be leading Crowdguard New Zealand as the company’s directors, are no strangers to crowd management and crowd safety planning and delivery. Both have worked in the sector to keep people safer at major sports and entertainment events around the world, including several Olympic games, so our expansion in Australasia couldn’t be in better hands.
Following the Women’s World Cup, the pair deployed the RB50 and ARX Stopper!™ HVM systems at the One Love Festival in Tauranga Domain and are now poised to offer a proportionate approach to HVM deployment for events and sports fixtures across New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia.
Calum comments: “The Women’s World Cup was a watershed moment for the events, sports, and entertainment industries in New Zealand. Despite the Christchurch terror attack in 2019, there has been a lack of awareness of threat vulnerability and risk, and a reluctance to put physical security measures in place.
“The World Cup was a global event, and with the eyes of the world upon us, we implemented a robust but proportionate counter terrorism plan. The brilliant thing was that the tournament proved that HVM could be put in place economically and without disrupting crowd flow or preventing people from having a great time. It has opened the eyes of both the events industry and the public to the value of HVM and we’re already receiving a lot of enquiries from across New Zealand, Australia and beyond.”
Crowdguard NZ will operate to the same high standards as Crowdguard in the UK, with trained technicians to carry out all installations and a broad portfolio of systems, including ATG Surface Guard, the Claw, H-Stop and Unafor Core, as well RB50 and ARX Stopper!™.
Jason Malcolm adds: “The counter-terrorism risk and event management culture changes from place to place in this part of the world, but Calum and I have the local knowledge and global experience to tackle the demands of such a varied market.
‘Alongside event security, we will be offering ram raid and public realm protection, combining our expertise with Crowdguard’s successful approach to keep people and places safer, and protecting in partnership across Australasia and APAC.’