Supercrawl security ‘amping up’ to thwart attack

Supercrawl is stepping up security at the city’s most popular street festival in recognition of a deadly new terrorism trend that sees vehicles used as weapons.

You likely won’t see giant city buses or looming garbage trucks physically blocking driving access to James Street North, which is closed to car traffic for eight blocks Friday through Sunday between King and Strachan streets.

But Supercrawl co-founder Tim Potocic said organizers have been consulting with police, fire and city officials about security “because of recent world events.”

Spokesperson Const. Jerome Stewart said Hamilton police would have a traditional presence at the festival, including officers and vehicles at designated intersections. He referred questions about any “additional” security measures to festival and city staff.

City event staff were involved in a discussion about “amping up” security, confirmed spokesperson Ann Lamanes.

That discussion included agreement to add more traffic barriers (concrete in some cases) and look into the placement of emergency or “sponsor” vehicles ahead of pedestrian entry points to the main drag of a festival that can attract 200,000 or more visitors over three days.

“This was what the group decided was the best procedure to keep people safe,” Potocic said.

A deadly terrorism trend of driving vehicles into crowded areas has emerged over the last two years, including recent summer attacks in Barcelona and London that together killed at least 20 people and injured more than 150.

Such incidents have prompted Canadian cities to use large municipal equipment like garbage trucks and front-end loaders to block access to pedestrian areas during events.

Potocic said in a brief email festival organizers will rely on a visible police presence, concrete jersey barriers and “trucks at strategic intersections.” Lamanes said extra barriers are going in at intersections like King, Cannon, Barton, Wilson and Strachan.