‘Wheelbarrows’ as insurance

Press, 23 June 1978, Page 12

‘Wheelbarrows’ as insurance

The disposal of terrorist bombs and booby traps is one of the most perilous tasks which members of the security forces may be asked to undertake. New Zealand servicemen have had bitter experience in Malaya and Vietnam of the casualties which can be inflicted, even by simple, home-made devices. So far this country has not had to face the terrorist bombings which have become part of daily life in Northern Ireland, and which occasionally cause casualties —usually among innocent people—in countries as far apart as Britain and Australia.

New Zealand’s remoteness, its relative freedom from the most extreme forms of political insanity, are no reason for complacency. A bomb outside a Sydney hotel in February took three lives; a bomb may have been used last week-end to damage a Wellington nightclub. The purchase by the Ministry of Defence of devices designed to make easier the hazardous work of bomb investigation is no more than a sensible insurance policy. The British Army has demonstrated in Northern Ireland that such devices save lives, including the

lives of the brave and highly skilled men in bomb disposal squads. But the skills required cannot be acquired at short notice. Adequate training is essential if the remote-controlled bomb disposal device, the Wheelbarrow Mark VII, is to be used efficiently and safely. The Director of Ordinance Services (Lieutenant-Colonel J. A. Campbell) has said that training with the “wheelbarrows” could be of immense value if New Zealand servicemen were asked to serve in a United Nations force in an area such as the Middle East. New Zealand help has not so far been sought there, although New Zealanders are involved indirectly through the Fijian Army contingent which has been sent to Lebanon. When political extremists show increasing disregard for human life, the role of the armed services in protecting lives, including the lives of services men and women, becomes even more important. However strongly New Zealanders might hope that bomb disposal devices will never have to be used in this country, it is reassuring to know they are available and that men are being trained to use them effectively.