Richard Worth

National Defence Spokesperson

30th September 2002

Defence break-in beggars belief

The weekend break-in to the Headquarters of the New Zealand Defence Force beggars belief, says Richard Worth, National's Defence Spokesperson.

"Security systems are clearly lax when intruders can enter the Headquarters of what should be one of the most secure buildings in New Zealand and one which contains the military secrets of this country and our allies.

"It may well be impossible to tell whether material has been copied and taken from the Headquarters. It may also be impossible to determine whether those who entered were thieves or were members of a Special Forces organisation which came looking for confidential information.

"The Headquarters of the New Zealand Defence Force contains significant strategic and operational military material. We need to have confidence that such material is securely held.

"For intruders to penetrate the external perimeter of the building and then circumvent the internal security systems is an indictment of the security arrangements in place at the highest level of defence.

"We have competent and committed military personnel in the Armed Services. It is important that events do not occur which might tarnish their image. These events do exactly that.

"There seems to be a pervasive influence of political correctness seeping into the defence system. Often associated with such political correctness are attitudes which are not consistent with a high degree of vigilance. This is not a good day for Stout Street," said Richard Worth Defence Spokesperson.

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