Forks is beefing up security after two recent attacks.
Additional members of the Winnipeg Police Service and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, along with more of The Forks’ own security guards, will be on hand, said Claire McKay, vice president of the Forks Foundation.
“We’re constantly monitoring and adjusting our security protocols and procedures, but we recognize that this past week has been challenging and we’ve seen increased activity on our site,” McKay said Thursday in an interview with CBC News Radio Manitoba host Marci Marcusa.
The first of the latest two attacks happened on Monday around 8pm when a group of teenagers attacked a man and his daughter in an attempted robbery in a parking lot.
The man was taken to hospital in stable condition. Two girls were arrested, and on Tuesday police were looking for a third.
Shortly after midnight Wednesday, two men were taken to a hospital in critical condition after being stabbed outside The Forks Market.
Police used their tactical support team to arrest four youths and two adults in the area in connection with the stabbings.
In May, a man died after being stabbed at The Forks park.
Forks has security on site 24/7, McKay said. There is no set time limit on how long the additional security measures will remain in place.
“It’s something we’ll continue to monitor and if it has to continue into the summer then obviously it’s something we’ll implement.”
The attacks came days before Canada Day celebrations on Friday, when large crowds are expected to gather at the site.
Violent incidents are rare in The Forks, says Claire McKay of the Forks Foundation. (Warren Kay/CBC)
Some people in The Forks who spoke to CBC News on Wednesday said the incidents show a need for increased security, but some said they weren’t surprised.
“We’re pretty close to downtown here, and I think it’s pretty common for any city in the downtown area to be a little more congested with all kinds of traffic,” Lane Cho said.
“It’s horrible and shocking, but not that surprising.
Henry Ramos had not heard of the attacks before being asked about them by a CBC reporter.
“I think they should put police every day here, every day they should put police here,” he said.
Scott White said the attacks didn’t change how safe he felt.
“It’s probably because I’ve lived in Winnipeg my whole life, for better or for worse. You just get used to Winnipeg one way or another.”
McKay has worked at The Forks for 18 years and said violent incidents are “very rare.”
“We have 54 acres that we patrol constantly. And unfortunately there was an incident a few hours after the market closed, but there was a team on site and on site.”
MacKay would not disclose how much security The Forks has on site, saying some people may benefit if that information is released, but she said there was security on site during the two recent attacks and additional security is being put in place events happen all the time.
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