The Forks beefing up security after recent attacks

The Forks is stepping 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's own security guards, will be on hand, said Clare MacKay, a Forks Foundation vice-president.

"We do constantly monitor and adjust our security protocols and procedures, but we recognize that this past week has been a challenging one and we've seen increased activity on our site," MacKay said Thursday in an interview with Marcy Markusa, host of CBC Manitoba's Information Radio.

The first of two recent attacks happened on Monday around 8 p.m., when a group of teens attacked a man and his daughter in an attempted robbery in the parking lot. 

The man was taken to hospital in stable condition. Two girls were arrested, and police were looking for a third on Tuesday.

Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, two men were taken to hospital in critical condition after they were 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 he was stabbed in the parkade at The Forks.

The Forks has security on site 24/7, MacKay said. There is no set time limit on how long the additional security measures will remain in place.

"It is something we will continue to monitor and if it's required to continue throughout the summer, then obviously that's something that we'll implement."

The attacks happened days before Canada Day celebrations on Friday, when large crowds are expected to gather at the site.

Some people at The Forks who spoke to CBC News on Wednesday said the incidents show a need for increased security, but some said they were not surprised. 

"We're pretty close to downtown here and I think any city, it's pretty common in the main area to be a little busier with all kinds of traffic," said Lane Cho.

"It's terrible and shocking, but it's not that surprising."

Henry Ramos hadn't heard about the attacks before he was asked about them by a CBC reporter.

"I think they should put some police every day here, every single day they should put the police here," he said.

Scott White said the attacks didn't change how safe he felt.

"Probably the reason why is I've lived in Winnipeg all my life, for better and for worse. You kind of just get used to Winnipeg, one way or another."

MacKay has worked at The Forks for 18 years and said violent incidents happen "very rarely."

"We have 54 acres that we patrol on a constant basis. And unfortunately, an incident did happen several hours after the market had closed, but there was a team in place and on site."

MacKay did not disclose how much security The Forks has on site, saying some people might take advantage if that information were disclosed, but she said there was security on site at the time of both recent attacks, and additional security is brought in any time large events happen.