No increased risk of terror attack during Lions tour - PM

  • 24/05/2017
The Prime Minister signing a condolence book in the wake of the Manchester attack (Newshub)
The Prime Minister signing a condolence book in the wake of the Manchester attack (Newshub)

Prime Minister Bill English says he's received no intelligence to suggest any increased risk to the upcoming British Lions tour.

"We can assure [fans] the risks of an attack are monitored constantly, that we have a strong focus on public safety, there's no evidence of heightened risk of attack in New Zealand," Mr English says.

"One of the important aspects of how we deal with these incidents is to not let them paralyse the ongoing public life."

Mr English says he hasn't had any specific intelligence briefings in the last 24 hours regarding the attack in Manchester.

He says there will be no review of security for large events in New Zealand, but the possibility of increased security at Lions tour events would be discussed in the coming days.

"We've got a team of people who are pretty experienced at it, and I'm absolutely sure they'll be taking into account these events, if only because so many of the fans who are coming here are coming from the UK.

"So we want to be able to provide the reassurance that the security arrangements are sensible and people can be safe."

The Prime Minister, alongside Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee and Opposition Leader Andrew Little, have signed a condolence book in the wake of the Manchester attack.

Mr English called it an "abhorrent and vicious attack on children, essentially".

Newshub.