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Heightened security at Remembrance Day

Coquitlam RCMP with carbines and dump trucks at intersections the new normal where large crowds gather
Police
A Coquitlam RCMP officer carrying a carbine provided extra security during Remembrance Day ceremonies on Sunday. Officers with guns at the ready and intersections blocked by dump trucks are regular occurrences now at public events to prevent acts of terrorism.

Alert residents may have noticed heightened security at Remembrance Day ceremonies in the Tri-Cities this year.

They weren’t imagining things.

Coquitlam RCMP with carbines at the ready were stationed close to the ceremonies in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam to protect those who were gathered to pay their respects.

Dump trucks were also parked at key intersections leading to the event to dissuade people from using their car as a weapon, as has occurred in terrorist attacks against civilians in numerous cities around the world in recent years, including Edmonton outside a football game in 2017.

The police presence struck some Tri-City residents as surprising and even scary, and some who contacted The Tri-City News wanted to know why it was necessary.

But the phenomenon of extra police carrying guns at public events is nothing new for Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, who said operational plans require heightened security, especially at public events involving members of the military.

McLaughlin added that having more specially-trained police on site with carbines that can hit their target at close and long range have been part of operational plans since Canadian soldiers were killed by terrorists in 2014.

“We’ve had two separate terrorist attacks on similar military targets — in Quebec, where a military officer in uniform was killed by a car by someone with terrorist intent, and one in Ottawa, where a soldier was killed. Anything involving soldiers with uniforms [requires extra security]. It’s part of the world we live in today.”

McLaughlin said the heightened security has been in place for at least two Remembrance Day events in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, and possibly more.

The amount of security depends on the type of event, McLaughlin said, but every gathering and festival requires an operational plan.

“If there’s some sort of risk, or some possibility it will be attacked or there is a security concern, it depends — for every event, there’s an operational plan.”