Businesses ‘not obliged to evacuate for bomb scares’

BUSINESS owners are not committing an offence if they refuse to evacuate their premises during a bomb scare, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Detective Superintendent Brendan Cloonan, who specialises in handling bomb threats, told the Morris Tribunal that officers can forcibly remove people from the danger area for their own safety.

But he added there was no legislation to deal with business owners and management who refuse to cooperate, adding such a situation was unimaginable.