Police are calling on the New Zealand public to play their part in creating a safe and fun FIFA U-20 World Cup football event in New Zealand.
The three-week tournament kicks off this Saturday (30 May), with the opening match at North Harbour Stadium, and the final match to be played at the same venue on Saturday 20 June.
Superintendent Sandra Manderson, National Commander of Police’s Operation during the tournament, said Police's role was to maintain law and order during the event, with staff well prepared for a range of contingencies.
"Police has extensive experience of such operations, including many Royal visits over the years, and events such as the 2011 Rugby World Cup and recent 2015 Cricket World Cup, so it will be very much business as usual for us.
"That said, Police is firmly focused on ensuring a safe event so that everyone can enjoy the football, in what should be a wonderful opportunity to showcase New Zealand to the world.
"Police has been working closely with a number of agencies and our Police districts that are hosting matches to create a safe and secure environment throughout the tournament.
We also encourage the New Zealand public to play their part by providing a warm and friendly welcome to our international guests."
Supt. Manderson said Police would also maintain a highly visible presence throughout the tournament.
"As is standard practice, Police does not discuss specific details about security matters or operational tactics, however, the measures we employ will be both thorough and appropriate.
We have contingency plans in place for a range of eventualities, and will respond swiftly and appropriately to those.
"That includes having no tolerance of any individual that enters the field of play, without authority.
Under the Major Events Management Act 2007 there are increased penalties for the offence of invading the pitch at a major sporting event.
This includes going onto the playing surface or propelling an object onto the field of play."
Anyone convicted of invading the pitch during the tournament is liable to imprisonment for a term up to 3 months or a fine not exceeding $5,000.
Supt. Manderson said staff from the seven Police districts where matches were being hosted were well prepared for the tournament, which would not affect normal Police business.
"We will have plenty of staff rostered on to ensure the safety and security of each of the matches being played at various venues across the country, while at the same time we have sufficient capacity to ensure that our normal service to the community is not affected.
"There will be a very visible Police presence throughout the tournament, and our focus is on helping ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience to remember for all the right reasons.
We want everyone to have fun, but our advice is please don’t take your off-pitch celebrations too far and ruin the experience for yourself and others.
"Please allow plenty of time if travelling to match venues and check your tickets for conditions of entry. Unfortunately, opportunistic burglars can take advantage of large events so our advice would be to keep valuables out of sight and securely lock your home, motel room or car doors and windows before you leave."
New Zealand host Ukraine in the opening game of the tournament at North Harbour Stadium at 1pm on Saturday.