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GROS ISLET, St Lucia - Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's mysterious hotel room death has prompted an unobtrusive tightening of security around New Zealand World Cup cricketers.
The upgrade became operational today, but didn't appear in force when coach John Bracewell ran, apparently unaccompanied, through sleepy St Lucia.
As speculation continued to cloud Woolmer's "suspicious'' death in Jamaica on Monday (Tuesday, NZT), Bracewell jogged from Beausejour Stadium to the team hotel in Rodney Bay.
He covered the 5km journey in a conservative 23 minutes, without any obvious security detail.
Yet, illustrating an often contradictory approach, fast bowler Mark Gillespie had two police escorts hours later when a chauffeur-driven BMW took him to a specialist for further assessment of his niggling shoulder injury.
New Zealand team manager Lindsay Crocker said Gillespie's protection was probably because police were available at the time.
He emphasised the team felt in no way threatened during their stay in an enclave he described as "a sleepy hollow''.
"We all get a bit nervy when something like this happens but we've got no reason to expect that any of us will be specific targets.''
However, the continuing inquiry into Woolmer's sudden death -- which is being followed intently by the players and team management -- was the catalyst for increasing security as rumours that he could have been the victim of foul play persisted.
"The assessment here is it's a low risk area but in response to what's happened they have increased the amount of security people they've got in the areas we operate in -- the hotel, match venue, practice grounds ... any functions we attend,'' Crocker said.
"That's been the general reaction to it. There'll be specific reactions in other countries and we'll be informed as we go along in relation to the (crime) risk.''
New Zealand head to Antigua, another "low risk'' island, on Friday before visiting Guyana and Grenada to complete their Super Eights programme.
The semifinals are scheduled for St Lucia and Jamaica while the April 28 final is in Barbados.
Crocker said security would be tailored to the perceived risk in each of those countries.
"The thing about these islands is even though they are lumped together as the West Indies and you think from a distance they're all pretty similar the fact is some of these islands are quite a bit different.
"Jamaica has two million people on it, Kingston (the capital) is a vibrant city with a lot of nightlife -- St Lucia only has 140,000 in the whole country.''
Since New Zealand and their group C rivals England, Canada and Kenya set up base at Rodney Bay access to three inter-linked hotels has been unrestricted for fans and media -- and that remained the case today.
But security was monitoring the comings and goings.
"There is a high police presence (patrolling the strip of bars) and what you don't see and don't notice is there's a lot of plain-clothed police here,'' Crocker said.
Guyana, on the South American mainland, is likely to have the tightest measures as pretty crime is rife in the capital Georgetown, where New Zealand play Ireland on April 9.
Some British news organisations sending staff to Georgetown to cover England's match there sent them on a "hostile environment course'' held by former members of the Special Air Service.
The course simulated kidnapping scenarios and emphasised the importance of pre-planning exit routes and how not to appear threatening.
- NZPA
