Intelligence, vigilance can prevent vehicle terror attacks, expert says
After eight people were killed during a terrorist attack Tuesday in New York, when a driver slammed his rental truck into a crowd of pedestrians and cyclists, experts say monitoring such violence globally and careful planning locally are key to preventing it in B.C.
Vehicles have been used as weapons against civilians at least 10 times since July 14 last year, when a man drove a cargo truck into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring at least 450 more.
More recently — and closer to home — a man stabbed an officer then struck and injured four pedestrians with a rental truck during a police chase a month ago in Edmonton.
Most of these attacks have been labelled terrorism, with evidence suggesting the drivers were radicalized, violent extremists linked to ISIS, though one involved a man attacking pedestrians leaving a mosque after late-night prayer.
Since October 2014, Canada’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre has rated the national terrorism threat level as “medium,” meaning a violent act of terrorism could occur, but is not “likely” or “imminent.”
But a terrorism expert at Simon Fraser University said it’s prudent that police and city officials in a major international hub like Vancouver remain vigilant and expand protection for civilians.
“We need a lot more security when there’s a parade, any large gathering, because these are good targets for potential terrorists,” Andre Gerolymatos said.
He added that Vancouver city staff and police are “taking a step in the right direction” by using dump trucks to block certain streets during major events, such as the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks festival in the West End.
But installing permanent concrete bollards and blocks at busy public gathering places may not be effective, since it would require putting them on every single street, Gerolymatos said.
“Remember, the terrorist doesn’t care which street. If we block off downtown, they’ll go to the ’burbs and if we block off the ’burbs, they’ll go further inland,” he said.
“They ’re told to be extremely opportunistic — all they want is the body count. The more people they can kill with a truck or a car, the better, for them.”
Gerolymatos said penetrating and uncovering the cells and members planning these attacks will always be the best way to stop them from causing harm.
A Vancouver city spokeswoman said protecting road users is a top priority for street and transportation staff, and an important factor in planning. Public plazas are designed to stop unintended vehicle access by using bollards, trees and furniture to slow or block them.
“It’s important to note, however, that we design for regular street usage and to prevent unintended incidents,” she said. “Extreme and unusual events such as the tragic incident in (New York on Tuesday) cannot be perfectly designed against.”
Const. Jason Doucette, of the Vancouver Police Department, said it would be counterproductive for Vancouver police to publicly discuss operational plans to stop vehicular attacks against crowds.
But if any of the hundreds of protests, demonstrations and public events the department works each year requires additional attention, police are prepared and can adjust resources as needed, he said.
“Our goal is to keep Vancouver a safe place to live, work and visit, and we want our residents to be able to rest well at night,” he said.
Doucette said analysts within the department are in constant communication with local and global intelligence and security experts. They take distant attacks into consideration when making local plans and preparations for public gatherings, augmenting their strategies based on what they learn.
Doucette stressed the importance of civilians reporting any suspicious activity to police so that they can investigate.
“We can’t do anything about it unless we know,” he said.
If we block off downtown, they’ll go to the ’burbs and if we block off the ’burbs, they’ll go further inland.