Hockey: Heightened security for India-bound hockey side

Secrecy shrouds the security arrangements around the New Zealand men's hockey team that left for the World Cup in India yesterday.

The tournament, hosted in Delhi and beginning on February 28, is being used by police as a security dress rehearsal for the Commonwealth Games.

However a terrorist attack at the weekend in Pune, near Mumbai, that killed nine at a restaurant popular with foreigners has again raised fears that athletes could be targeted.

The New Zealand Cricket Players' Association has engaged security consultant Reg Dickason to compile a report after he has liaised with the Indian Premier League's security consultants Nicholls-Steyn.

The NZCPA will put the report to its IPL-bound players before they leave in April.

When asked whether he would be concerned for the hockey players' safety, Mills was unequivocal.

"Absolutely I would be concerned if I was one of those athletes after the weekend's incident," Mills said.

"The important thing is that independent organisations are involved in managing security plans. You can never solely rely on the Government authorities to manage these issues for you."

Hockey New Zealand chief executive Hilary Poole was guarded about whether the national side had independent security travelling with them.

"I can't comment on that," she said. "All I can say is we're treating it really seriously and monitoring the arrangements really closely and at this stage we are comfortable with the arrangements we have put in place."

The weekend's bomb blast was the first high-profile act of terrorism in India since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, when 166 people died.

"We are providing support through a combined government response team, who are in direct contact with the group organising security in Delhi," Poole said.

There had been talk of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade staff travelling with the hockey team, but Poole was giving nothing away. "I can't comment on that one at this time."