News Article
Security Needs to Strike Balance
Joe Couture, Leader-Post
March 3, 2010
A little-known piece of Regina civic history was laid bare Tuesday after a streaking incident at city hall revealed security concerns.
Commissionaires Saskatchewan CEO Cliff Walker recalled an assassination attempt made against his father, Harry, when the senior Walker was mayor of Regina in the early 1970s.
Regina police had received a tip that there would be an attempt on the mayor's life. Security was upped, including phone taps and stake-outs outside the mayor's house, Walker remembered. The police "did an awesome job" and, in the end, "actually arrested the would-be assassin going into city hall, with a loaded pistol, to shoot the mayor."
Asked about his motive, the man said he just "wanted to be famous," according to Walker, who noted the incident was not publicized due to fears of a copycat attempt.
Walker related the story during an interview about security, following Tuesday's streaking incident. He told it to illustrate a point about "the most important thing in the security business" -- intelligence.
But no matter how good the information, no matter how well-anticipated the risk, no matter how extreme the security measures, there always will be security holes that a determined individual can get through, especially if the person is resigned to getting caught, Walker said.
"Our job is to try to make the holes as small as possible, given the fact people need to do business," he stated. "The biggest single factor is the dichotomy between wanting to be open and accessible to the public versus the security of the people who are there. You want to have your public buildings and your public figures accessible to people, but by the same token, you need to have a level of security that's going to protect them and let them do their jobs. You need to try to strike a balance."
There always are demands for increased security following an incident, he noted.
Stringent measures actually make maintaining security easier, so firms recommend them to clients, he said. But client wishes for accessibility -- such as those of city hall, especially with a popular mayor who likes to be open -- need to be met, and security does need to be reasonable, he added.
At the Legislative Building, where the commissionaires also provide services, security is tighter than at city hall, Walker said. He noted city hall security needs to be -- and is being -- reviewed.
During a media scrum Tuesday, city spokesman Jeff Bohach and mayor's office spokesman Mark Rathwell both referred to the same type of balance that Walker described.
Bohach also noted an examination of security at city hall was in the works prior to Tuesday's incident. He said changes to the main floor set-up are being considered, but noted there are logistical challenges and there is no timeline for changes to be in place. The mayor's office will be considered, too. He said city hall is intentionally more open than other public buildings.
The streaking incident "does show that anything can happen, so we need to be prepared, so that's part of what our review is looking at," Bohach said.
"The mayor has expressed a desire to have an open office and that will always be accommodated. We want to have the public feel that it's their city hall, they can come here and do their business, but we also need to keep our employees and visitors safe, so it's finding that right balance."
Bohach noted many people come through the doors at city hall every day. He said one commissionaire is stationed in the lobby, and may be called away to deal with matters elsewhere.
Rathwell said he can recall only one other incident, when an order was issued to prevent a man who threatened to destroy property from returning to city hall.
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