Security ramped up at Sutton Street court after bomb hoax
Published:Wednesday | March 23, 2022 | 12:11 AM
Security has been beefed up at the Sutton Street civil division of the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court after a bomb threat by an anonymous caller disrupted hearings on Tuesday.
There will be limited access to proceedings at the court today and persons will undergo rigorous body checks before entry, Superintendent Berrisford Williams, commander of the Kingston Central Police Division, told The Gleaner shortly before the resumption of the day’s sittings Tuesday afternoon.
Bomb experts scoured the building for about 90 minutes before giving the all clear for the resumption.
Reports are that about 10:30 a.m., an anonymous call was received.
“The dialogue was all unnu b@#bocl&%t people inna Sutton Street court, dem a go bomb it up today. The whole o’ unnu a go dead today,” a staff member close to the incident said.
Proceedings were immediately halted and the court evacuated, with the security sweep incorporating the perimeter.
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes told The Gleaner that the Court Administration Division has policies and procedures to deal with emergency incidents, including security threats, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
“This would be a man-made disaster, but there are protocols which we follow once we get that information. My information is that we followed that protocol this morning,” Justice Sykes said on Tuesday.
Though it appeared to have been a hoax, Justice Sykes said the courts have to take all reports seriously.
“Each time it comes in, we have to follow the protocol to ensure that people are safe. If it turns out that it’s a hoax, then so much the better, but we will never know until the processes have been followed and we have the information,” he said.