Winnipeg police chief says string of violence is concerning, but not new

In the wake of a string of violent attacks at The Forks, Winnipeg's police chief says while any assault is concerning, the violence is not new.

Last week, a father and daughter were assaulted in The Forks parking lot on June 27, two men were stabbed and a woman was injured during an altercation on June 29, and a Ukrainian refugee living in Winnipeg two weeks was stabbed at The Forks on Canada Day.

"This is a concern to us, but it is not new to us," Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth said while speaking with reporters Friday afternoon.

He said violent crime was up by five per cent in 2021 compared to the pervious year, driven primarily by assaults involving weapons. He said last year there were 1,199 incidents involving knives and 470 incidents involving guns.

"All stabbings and all homicides concern me and it doesn't matter where it happens in the city. I know that The Forks is a special place for most in the city, but it is no less significant or more significant than the stabbing that occurred downtown or a stabbing that occurred at another part of the city," Smyth said.

He pointed out three of the assaults reported at The Forks have been resolved quickly with arrests and charges. He said the investigation into the stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee is ongoing.

Despite the violence, Smyth said he feels the city is safe.

"I feel safe at The Forks. I feel safe in the community," he said. "I can't speak for everyone's feelings, but I think we are doing our part. The community needs to do their part, the media needs to do their part."

He said the Winnipeg Police Service does intend to assign a full-time foot patrol at The Forks on the weekends, at least in the short term while the service works with officials to determine what is needed.

In a statement, The Forks said it appreciates the police support.

"We have expanded on-site foot patrol, bike patrol, and vehicle patrol and we will continue to evolve our own strategies in partnership with Winnipeg Police Service and other groups that focus on safety in our downtown," the statement reads.

Winnipeg Police Board Chair Markus Chambers announced the board will be holding a summit, likely in September, on how to make downtown safer.

"It is a matter of bringing in the province and the federal government to assist in what police are responding to, the mental health, the addictions," Chambers said. 

POLICE LOOK TO REDUCE GANG VIOLENCE, SAYS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS IMPORTANT

He said about 25 to 30 per cent of homicides in Winnipeg involve gangs. The police service has a dedicated guns and gang unit, along with a gang suppression strategy and a general patrol and community support unit focussed on enforcement, awareness and helping people get out of gangs.

"It is not just about enforcement, so what we hope is that if we are successful enough in that, we will have fewer gang-related homicides," he said.

While the service is working to cut back on gang-related violence, some assaults are difficult to predict.

"Certain things like stabbings and conflicts that happen, there is no way you can actually plan for that," he said. "There are an awful lot of people that are walking around armed now with knives and machetes and axes and that, you just don't know. What we talk about is being aware, be aware of your surroundings, situational awareness and looking out for each other."

He said the police have many community partnerships looking to prevent crime.

CTV News will update this story.