Calgary, AB,
01
October
2017
|
13:25
America/Denver

Calgary Police Service statement on Edmonton attack

The events that occurred last night in Edmonton were both shocking and disturbing. The Calgary Police Service’s thoughts and prayers are with the Edmonton police officer and four Edmontonians injured in the attack, as well as their families and all the people of Edmonton.

We have offered our full support to the Edmonton Police Service and the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) as they investigate this incident. We are also working to assess whether there are any Calgary connections to the attack and what, if any, impacts the incident will have in our city.

At this point, we have no intelligence to suggest there is an imminent threat to Calgarians. However, it would be naive to think something like what occurred in Edmonton could never happen in Calgary.

The Calgary Police Service works closely with intelligence partners across the country to identify and assess risks. We also evaluate the security measures at any large event in Calgary to ensure there are appropriate police resource and steps being taken to keep the public as safe as possible.

If the Service gets any intelligence about a threat or has an incident that requires additional resources, there are protocols in place that make it possible to get any needed resources very quickly.

The safety of our city is something that all Calgarians can also contribute towards. Calgarians are encouraged to always remain vigilant. If people see something suspicious, they need to say something.

Some tips for when to say something are:

  • Listen to your gut instinct. If something feels off, you may be right. We would much rather hear about it and have it be nothing, than not know about it and have someone get hurt.
  • Watch for unusual items or situations, like vehicles parked in an odd spot, packages that are out of place and unattended, or people whose clothing and behaviour does not make sense in the situation.
  • Notice if a person is trying to gain access to a restricted area, is hiding, or is showing an abnormal interest in security procedures or event layouts.

Yesterday’s events in Edmonton are a shocking reminder that our province is not immune from the larger trends affecting public security around the world.

The hearts of the entire Calgary Police Service go out to everyone affected by the attack.