Areas outside of arenas becoming a bigger priority
LONDON — Even before the suicide bombing that killed 22 people at a Manchester, England, arena Monday night, the Chicago Cubs were evaluating ways to make the area around Wrigley Field safer.
The City Council Budget Committee on Tuesday approved a $1 million donation by the World Series champions for the installation of 30 security cameras around the stadium in a densely populated neighbourhood. The timing was coincidental — it was in the works for over a year — but the expensive undertaking underscores how difficult it is to keep large locales secure, especially after events.
Manchester police would not say if the bomber blew himself up inside or outside the arena, so it is not clear if rigorous bag screening or additional pre-event security would have helped prevent the deaths and injuries. The venue tweeted on Monday night that it happened “outside the venue in a public space.”
“The risks now are higher outside of a stadium or venue than inside,” Cubs spokesman Julian Green said. “Being able to check and monitor activity outside is becoming increasingly important.”