Lessons learned review ordered after hoax bomb threat to schools
The handling of a hoax bomb threat against hundreds of schools is set to be probed for lessons to be learned.
Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan told MLAs that the threat had been signed off “Allahu Akbar” and “threatened to bring Sharia Law into place in Northern Ireland”.
It was sent to around 300 schools in the region, and caused a number of schools to close as a precaution on October 19.
“It originated from outside of the United Kingdom but it did cause alarm in terms of the recipients of that correspondence and a number of schools took the steps to close, others were able to engage and get advice in respect of those matters,” Mr Givan told MLAs.
He was asked what steps were being taken to ensure consistency in the event of something similar happening in the future.
He responded: “The Education Authority have outlined how they dealt with these issues, but I have commissioned a lessons learned review so we can always look at how things were handled, and where improvements can be made they should be made.”
Sinn Fein MLA Declan McAteer urged a co-ordinated approach and clear protocols in place to guide schools.
Mr Givan said: “Whenever the communication was shared with the Education Authority, it was escalated with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the PSNI had to go through its own process so that they could declare it was a hoax, and it isn’t just that the Education Authority was able to provide that advice, they were engaging through a multi-agency approach.
“Undoubtedly this was disruptive but I understand why some school principals felt the need to escalate their response and to close, but given the circumstances around this there are lessons to be learned, and ultimately we have to allow those who are professionally tasked with making these determinations to do so, and we were waiting for the PSNI to carry out its processes before the EA was able to provide final advice.”