THE terror threat level in New Zealand remains high, says New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji Jonathan Curr. Despite this, he said New Zealand remained safe for residents and visitors.
Mr Curr was one of the panellists for a discussion on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, hosted at the University of the South Pacific’s Lautoka Campus on Thursday.
“Our terror threat level was lifted from low to high immediately following the attacks and it remains at a high level,” he said.
“We’ve tried to do as much as we can to humanise what that means. We see police on our streets armed whereas in New Zealand, they are not usually armed.
“There are remarkable photos I’ve seen today of police wearing flowers in their holsters alongside the weapons as a sign that they want to make weapons seem less lethal than they are, that this is not who we are, an armed nation fearful of our security.
“We carry them because we have to, because we want to make people safe.” He said public safety was the top priority for any government.
“It certainly is for the New Zealand police, making sure the Muslim community is secure and this is a particular focus which is why there’s been police presence outside mosques and community halls and in other sites that are considered vulnerable in New Zealand.
“Police and security agencies are working with communities across the country to ensure the safety of everyone, not just New Zealand citizens but all visitors to our shores.”
