EXPERTS have called for an awareness campaign to alert the public about the implications of making false bomb threats, as claims become more common in KwaZulu-Natal and particularly in Durban.
This month there were three bomb threats, the latest being on Tuesday at the Durban Magistrates Court which also houses the Durban High Court.
An unidentified person called the court and announced that there was a bomb which he said would go off at 10.30am. People were evacuated from the building and several court cases were halted. The police searched the building and found it was safe.
Last week a school in Hillcrest reported that they had received a bomb threat
A statement from Hillcrest High School said its administration office received a telephonic bomb threat. The sirens at the school were immediately sounded, and pupils and staff were evacuated. Police discovered that it was a hoax.
Earlier this month undetonated explosive devices were found inside the premises of Musjidur Rahman Mosque at 131 Kenneth Kaunda Road, Durban North.
It was reported that the devices were discovered by a security guard patrolling the area.
Mosque Trustee spokesperson Yusuf Desai told the Daily News that a security guard noticed a vehicle entering the mosque’s driveway about 1.45am and saw an unidentified man exiting the passenger side and placing an object in the shrubs near the mosque entrance.
“The guard promptly alerted mosque management who contacted the SAPS for further investigation. The package was found to contain a bomb and approximately 40 metres of detonation cable, which the SAPS bomb squad successfully rendered safe and removed,” said Desai.
Dr Johan Burger, an independent crime and policing consultant, said a campaign to educate the public about the enormous real and potential impact of false threats as well as what to do when threats were received, whether real or false, would be helpful.
He said there also needed to be a thorough investigation and good intelligence to identify, arrest and prosecute those behind the threats.
KwaZulu-Natal violence monitor Professor Mary de Haas said bomb threats could also facilitate criminal activities such as robberies. She said the recent bomb threats were a cause for concern as they had to be taken seriously.
De Haas called on the police to investigate the threats’ origins.
“They have a cybercrime unit which surely works with cellphone providers and calls can be traced to areas from where they were made. This is where local police should be monitoring criminal activities,” she said.
Sunday Tribune