MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Rumours of a bomb at local mall, where ….

By

RUMOURS

At 9am 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 threat about a “bomb” in the food court, which was made via telephone to centre management. The centre management team immediately alerted SAPS via the 10111 emergency call centre and all tenants and shoppers were evacuated to safety at assembly 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, with emergency medical services personnel providing additional support.

During the evacuation and search procedures, members of the security team found the “suspicious parcel”, which was then removed from the food court by officers from the explosive unit.

The entire simulation took less than 45 minutes, no one was injured in the process and trading resumed as normal thereafter.

Baywest Mall conducts these emergency procedures as a matter of compliance with national health and safety regulations. 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.