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While specific details of the ordeal have been left out to protect the officer, their usual walk escalated quickly, ending in a violent attack and a serious injury sustained by the officer.

“It happened in a blink of an eye,” the officer said. “I consider myself extremely lucky.”

Downtown officers, unlike those at the city’s three other police stations, do not have access to a private, protected parking lot. Instead, if they choose to drive to work — and many do — they have to find parking in adjacent and nearby lots, leaving officers vulnerable when coming to and leaving from work, especially late at night.

Near misses

Safe and secure parking for officers at police headquarters at 245 Smith Street has been a point of contention brought up several times by the Winnipeg Police Association in recent times.

The union, which represents roughly 1,400 sworn WPS officers and another 550 civilian staff — of which 400 work out of police HQ and have no training to deal with potentially threatening circumstances — has repeatedly asked for safe, private parking for their downtown members, as was the case prior to their move from the Public Safety Building in 2016.

Since then, it’s been a flurry of close calls and brazen attacks.

One officer was stabbed on Dec. 1, 2017, after walking to his vehicle and noticing a man who looked like he was trying to break in.

Three weeks ago, another officer had just finished their a when a man allegedly pulled a gun, aimed it at the officer’s head and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired.