"In a crisis, the plan you trained for is the only plan you have."
Bomb Threats and Suspicious Devices
Instructor Sele: Bomb threats are low-frequency but high-consequence events. Most threats are hoaxes — but every threat must be treated as real until proven otherwise. The procedures in this module are the difference between a controlled response and a fatal mistake.
Section 1 — Receiving a Bomb Threat Call
If you receive a bomb threat by telephone: Stay calm — do not hang up under any circumstances. Keep the caller talking as long as possible — every second of conversation gives more intelligence. Signal a colleague to call for help while you remain on the line. Use the Bomb Threat Checklist to record every detail.
Do not announce the threat over public address systems — this causes panic and may trigger a premature detonation. After the call, report immediately to your supervisor and the IC. The IC makes the decision on evacuation — not the individual guard.
Section 2 — The Bomb Threat Checklist
Record every detail during the call: exact time the call was received; exact words used by the caller — word for word; voice characteristics (accent, gender, approximate age, tone — calm, agitated, scripted); background sounds (traffic, machinery, music, other voices); location of device if stated; time of detonation if stated; reason if given; caller ID or number if displayed.
This checklist must be completed immediately after the call ends. Memory degrades within minutes.
Section 3 — Suspicious Package or Device
If a suspicious unattended package or device is discovered: Do not touch, move, or tamper with it — under any circumstances. Isolate the area — establish a cordon of at least 100 metres around the item. Evacuate all persons from the cordoned area immediately. Do not use radios or mobile phones within the cordon — electronic signals can trigger some devices. Report to the IC and contact LNP immediately. Do not re-enter the cordon until LNP or the EOD team has cleared it.
The single most common fatal mistake in suspicious device incidents is well-meaning personnel touching or moving the item "to see if it's real."
Section 4 — Evacuation Decision
The decision to evacuate on a bomb threat belongs to the Incident Commander — in consultation with LNP. Factors considered: credibility of the threat (specific details vs. vague); time to detonation stated by caller (if any); location of device (if stated); risk of evacuation vs. risk of remaining. A bomb threat during peak hour on a busy street requires different decisions than one in an empty car park at night.
- •Never hang up on a bomb threat caller — keep them talking and record everything on the checklist
- •Do not announce the threat over the PA — report immediately to the IC who decides on evacuation
- •For a suspicious device: do not touch — isolate, evacuate, no radios or phones in the cordon, call LNP
- •100-metre minimum cordon around any suspicious device
- •The evacuation decision is the IC's to make — not the individual guard's
"I responded to a suspicious package report at a commercial building in Monrovia. When I arrived, three staff members were standing around it trying to decide if it was real. They were 30 centimetres from it. I moved them back 100 metres without touching the package. LNP EOD confirmed it was an improvised device — real and functional. The people standing over it would not have survived. Do not touch. Ever."
In a bomb threat call, the guard should immediately: