Editorial: Facing up to the risk of terror

According to International security expert Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor New Zealand has many "soft targets" should we face a terror attack.

When the horror of 9/11 happened there was a sense of relief I lived in New Zealand, where the concept of terrorism was as foreign as it was terrifying. Who would want to hurt little old us?

It was the same with the London terror attacks in 2005. As I traipsed home across London that afternoon, then got on an eerie District Line train the next morning, I yearned to be home where people with backpacks were hikers, not potential suicide bombers.

But are we really that safe? Or do Kiwis use that "little old us" concept to give themselves a sense of security that is no longer appropriate?

International security expert Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor was reported yesterday as saying New Zealand was a "sitting duck" for a terror attack and needed to step up its security measures.

Her comments come as New Zealand joins the war on Isis, and Australian counter-terrorism police arrest five people over an alleged Anzac Day terror plot.

Ms Sullivan-Taylor mentioned venues such as Eden Park and the Vector Arena in Auckland, as well as shopping malls - particularly Westfield malls - as being potential soft targets.

It's no secret that security in New Zealand is relaxed compared to countries such as the UK and US. Fresh from overseas I was baffled boarding a domestic flight where hand luggage wasn't scanned and I didn't even have to show photo ID.

Bag checks are uncommon and even at large events they often feel like a cursory glance for contraband food or drink rather than anything more sinister.

Ms Sullivan-Taylor concedes the likelihood of a terrorist attack happening in New Zealand is lower than in other parts of the Western world, so of course there's no need to panic.

But Kiwis need to accept we're not untouchable. The world has changed, as has our place in it. Which means it may be time to tighten security measures in some circumstances - because while the risk of an attack may be small, the consequences could be catastrophic.