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Emergency drill at Baywest Mall

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After a full evacuation to test readiness in event of security threat and with no one injured the Baywest Mall general manager Troy Zunckel issued the following statement today:

At 9:00am this morning, Baywest Mall, with the cooperation of the South African Police Service, executed an emergency drill involving the full evacuation of the centre. The aim of the drill was to test the mall’s readiness in the event of a security threat.

The drill commenced with a mock bomb threat made via telephone to centre management, who then alerted SAPS via the 10111 emergency call centre. The Baywest Mall security team proceeded with a shop-to-shop search as tenants and shoppers were evacuated to safety at muster points outside the centre.

Officers from the Kabega Park police station were on the scene within minutes as well as members of the K9 unit and explosive unit. Traffic officers were also on hand to manage the flow of vehicles onto access roads around the mall.

After a thorough search of the mall, a police sniffer dog found the “suspicious parcel” in the food court, which was then removed by officers from the explosive unit.

The entire simulation took just under an hour, no one was injured in the process and trading resumed as normal thereafter.

Baywest Mall would like to stress the importance of conducting emergency drills such as this against the backdrop of international terrorism threats and in light of recent serious incidents at other shopping malls in the metro. Centre management apologises for any inconvenience caused.

The mall takes the safety of shoppers very seriously and is proud to continue its good working relationship with SAPS, which includes having an officer stationed at the Baywest info desk.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.