Planning security for Waterloo Region’s Oktoberfest festivities is a year-round event – but the plan is flexible enough that, if necessary, it can change based on events happening just days before the festival begins.
Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin says there will be an “enhanced police presence” at this year’s festivities, due in part to recent attacks in Edmonton and Las Vegas.
“We will enhance some of our security and our policing operations and our public safety operations,” Larkin said Monday.
“At this time, there’s no risk to Waterloo Region. There’s no threat to Waterloo Region. That being said, we continue to be very vigilant.”
Larkin says people may also notice road closures and “traffic inconveniences” related to the festival.
As the City of Kitchener’s manager of special events, Jeff Young has a hand in organizing dozens of public gatherings per year.
He says events like the attack in Edmonton and Las Vegas are “largely unpredictable,” and city officials work with police and other agencies “to be as prepared as possible for the unexpected.”
“The safety of our guests is always a primary focus,” he says.
Lorne Dawson studies terrorism and responses to it as the director of the University of Waterloo’s Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society.
He says he’s not surprised to hear about an increased police presence at Oktoberfest, or stricter security protocols at other large public events.
“Nobody wants to be the person who (has) it happen on their watch,” he says.
While event organizers and law enforcement authorities might be concerned about preventing terrorism, Dawson says, there is little reason for anyone else to worry about being confronted by an attack.
“These things are almost impossible to predict,” he says.
“They happen in all kinds of communities, large and small.”
Larkin says police officers are trained to never take for granted that an attack won’t suddenly occur, even during a routine RIDE checkpoint, but agrees that for most people, terrorism should not be a top-of-mind concern.
“We can’t let fear dictate our daily lives,” he says.
With reporting by Brandon Rowe
