Does the continuing search for Michael Gibbon’s killer have people thinking twice about taking part in public events like Oktoberfest?
To hear the crowd at Thursday’s keg-tapping in Waterloo tell it, not really.
“If people want to go and enjoy the festivities, they will anyway,” said Helen Gehrz.
Jim Stephen, too, said he wasn’t concerned about his safety at Waterloo Public Square.
“I’ve always found the Waterloo Region to be a safe and secure place,” said
“Seeing the police here … just reassures us all that we have a wonderful police force.”
Security is always stepped up in Waterloo Region at Oktoberfest time.
Waterloo Regional Police have a unit dedicated the festival.
Further resources are being provided this year, due to the continuing questions around the unsolved death of Gibbon.
“There’s a bit of a ripple effect, and we continue to manage that,” Chief Bryan Larkin said Thursday.
Dave MacNeil, the executive director of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, says organizers have gone over security plans and procedures, and festhall volunteers are being provided with training to identify suspicious activity.
“Safety is always paramount when you’ve got this number of people,” he said.
Gibbon, 60, was found on the front lawn of a Margaret Avenue home Monday morning with an arrow wound to his chest.
He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Wednesday evening, police released a photo of a man considered a person of interest in their investigation.
The man is not considered a suspect, police say, but may have been around Margaret Avenue on Monday and may have information that could help investigators.
In addition to what Larkin termed “enhanced police visibility” at public events, additional officers will continue to be present in the neighbourhood around Margaret, Breithaupt Park and Gibbon’s home on Guelph Street.
In the meantime, police say people shouldn’t be afraid to enjoy Oktoberfest.
“We encourage people to continue living their lives and not to let fear overtake them,” Larkin said.
“Come out and enjoy our community. Rest assured, we’re doing lots of work behind the scenes.”
