File picture: Leon Lestrade/ Independent Newspapers.
Making false bomb threats creates unnecessary panic and draws emergency services away from where they are really needed, say the police.
The warning comes after police responded to a bomb threat at Tyger Valley Shopping Centre on Friday last week.
Provincial police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the building was declared safe after an inspection by dog and bomb-disposal units.
Mall spokeswoman Alleta van Wyk said the bomb threat had come through the centre management switchboard at about noon.
“In response to the threat, our security team immediately initiated our safety protocols, and we have been in close coordination with local authorities. We successfully evacuated the mall with no injuries reported,” she said.
Sergeant Twigg said police were investigating. No arrests have been made.
“We appeal to the public to refrain from making false bomb threats as it causes unnecessary panic and utilisation of resources that could have been used in real-life situations where their expertise is needed,” he said.