By Margaret Maccoll
For the first time in the Noosa Triathlon Multisport Festival history, police this year included the risk of terrorism in their management plans.
The local force was boosted to about 30 officers for the duration of the event, with extra numbers seconded from around the northern patrol area.
This was in addition to a police event liaison officer working with Noosa Tri security staff which has been standard practice for many years.
Noosa Heads Senior Sergeant Ben Carroll said a major operation was undertaken to mitigate a possible terrorist attack.
“For the first time, we have made a safety and security vulnerability assessment for the event,” he said.
“We looked at the route of the triathlon and projected if someone was to do something where would be the best spots.
“It’s such a hard thing to service. We’ve tried to reduce the risk and secure the area through measures like bollards.”
Sen Sgt Carroll said given today’s climate and recent terrorist incidents, it was something that just had to be considered.
“I think we will see more and more of this for these large scale events,” he said.
