Police operations on Parliament Hill, a success and moment to reflect

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The police operation on Parliament Hill on the weekend was a success, especially because no one was hurt, three security experts said.

However, those experts say the events that led to an hours-long lockdown and exclusion zone of the parliamentary precinct will lead to a review. It’s still unclear if changes are needed to how parliamentary security is managed, particularly on weekends and when Parliament is not sitting.

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In the end, the 31-year-old intruder was captured without injury, and charged with two counts of breaching probation, one count of public mischief and one count of uttering threats to cause property damage.

On Saturday, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) announced that a man had barricaded himself in East Block, a building used chiefly for senators and their staff.

In a press release the next day, the police said the man had entered the security screening area, just inside the doors, where he “began making threats to the safety of those inside.”

The man was isolated to the security screening area during the police operation that stretched from around 2:40 p.m. to 11 p.m. when he was arrested.

Those in the East Block and surrounding buildings, including the Prime Minister’s Office and Privy Council Office across the street, were almost immediately ordered to lock all doors and shelter-in-place. Fifteen minutes later, the buildings were ordered to be cleared.

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Security experts said that on weekends often one door is left open to a security screening area manned by Parliamentary Protection Service officers. It’s unclear if that procedure will also be considered part of the review or if more police presence will be needed at every entry.

During the Saturday operation, OPS and PPS officers deployed chemical, neurological, radiological, nuclear and explosives units. Other units deployed included emergency services, K9s, tactical units and negotiators.

Vernon White, a retired senator and former Ottawa police chief, said that a priority is that physical altercation be avoided when dealing with this type of situation. It’s why, if an individual utters threats that include weapons or bombs, security officers have to believe them until the threat is disproved.

“If he said that he had weapons, the last thing you want to do is test whether he is telling you the truth.”

The event speaks to the delicate balance of policing and security of Parliament Hill, which remains open to the public. Tourists and locals alike can walk freely on the grounds of Parliament. Tours are also available for the public in several parliamentary buildings, including East Block.

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Buildings are also open on weekends for parliamentarian and senator staffers.

Charles Bordeleau, a security consultant and former Ottawa police chief, points to the balancing act that security has played on the Hill in recent years. There has been an increased security presence on Parliament Hill over time. Bordeleau, who grew up in Ottawa, says there was hardly any security when he was young. Now, things are changing.

Over the past decades, events have led to the increased security presence on the Hill. In 2014, a terror attack left the shooter and 24-year-old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo dead, which led to the creation of the PPS.

“This particular incident is strictly a reminder that there needs to be, maybe beefed up security around buildings, even though our elected officials are not sitting now,” said Pierre-Yves Bourduas, president of P-Y Public Safety Management Inc. and a former deputy commissioner of the RCMP. “It’s just a reminder that thing could go sideways rather quickly.”

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Both Bordeleau and Bourduas pointed out the challenges for security in a heightened, polarized political context.

“The level of violence associated with and potential of violence, certainly, the temperature has risen over the past number of years,” Bordeleau said. “People are feeling more emboldened and there’s certainly a lot more volatility involved in public safety.”

Still, even though the police operation took hours, experts agreed that the review following will be beneficial for the police services involved. White also said that the goal was to keep everyone safe, even if it took hours.

“You try to play down the seriousness of the situation they got themselves into, to try and find them an exit strategy that they can live with and that you can accept, right?” White said.

“This isn’t worth dying over, so let’s take our time,” White added.

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