Bomb threats (FOI)

Request

How many bomb threats/hoaxes have been reported to States of Jersey Police in 2020?

Response

Criminal Hoaxes (Jersey) Law 2000

1        Criminal hoax

(1)     A person who –
(a)     places any thing in any place; or
(b)     despatches any thing from one place to another,
with the intention (in either case) of inducing in some other person, whether in Jersey or elsewhere, a false belief that it is likely to explode or ignite, or to be released or exposed, and thereby cause personal injury or damage to property or create a serious risk to human health, is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years, or both.
(2)     A person who communicates any information that the person knows or believes to be false to another person with the intention of inducing in any person, whether in Jersey or elsewhere, a false belief that any thing liable to explode or ignite or, if released or exposed, to cause personal injury or damage to property or create a serious risk to human health is present in any place, is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years, or both.
(3)     For a person to be guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) or (2) it is not necessary for him or her to have any particular person in mind as the person in whom he or she intends to induce the belief.

Making a hoax bomb threat can cause severe economic disruption and panic amongst the local population. The Criminal Hoax (Jersey) Law 2000 recognises this in the severity of the possible sentence, should anybody be convicted of the offences prescribed.

To date in 2020, the States of Jersey police have no offences recorded under this legislation.