Legislation needed to tackle bomb scares, says security expert

By Prince Moore    

 

Criminologist and security expert Dr. Jason McKay believes the government should enact legislation to tackle the growing problem of bomb scares in Jamaica, given their frequency and the impact they are having on the country.

 

His comment follows Tuesday's disruption in sittings of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) at Kingston College, Campion College and Holmwood Technical high due to bomb scares at the three institutions.

 

In other instances in the past, bomb scares disrupted business operations and court sittings as well as schools.

 

Dr. McKay says the government should seek to enact harsh penalties for persons caught participating in the act. 

 

"I'm not sure what law we can prosecute you on now. But if it becomes too much of an issue, then create a law that treats it very, very fiercely with some mandatory jail time," he suggested. 

 

"There are avenues to investigate, but don't give it too much press attention, don't respond to it, don't close down your court because of it or anything like that," added the security expert who believes too much attention is being given to bomb scares.

 

He said Jamaica does not have a culture of terrorist groups carrying out such attacks. 

 

"We don't live in an environment where terrorists call and give you time to evacuate, which is normally when the bomb threat comes in.... But in Jamaica, typically, it's a prank. And it's really not that much you can really do about it other than punish persons when you catch them," Dr. McKay noted.

 

Bomb scares distressing 

 

Psychiatrist Dr. Saphire Longmore said the issue of bomb scares in schools can be extremely distressing for children.

 

She is of the view that persons who participate in bomb scares may themselves be suffering from trauma. 

 

"From what I've read, the content of the lettering clearly indicates that this is a disturbed mind. Whether it is early childhood trauma versus that has evolved into what we call maladaptive defence mechanisms becoming personality disorders. But the fact of the matter is very few children are born evil. It is a matter where there is trauma and there's a reaction to the trauma. And if it is not adequately cared for, it can manifest in these ways. You know, unfortunately, we tend to replicate what is happening in other societies. And that's what we're seeing here now," she reasoned.