Police set trap after bomb threats at schools

The third bomb threat in two weeks at an Iqaluit school has prompted police to set phone traps for would-be pranksters.

RCMP decided to rewire the phone lines at all Iqaluit schools to trace incoming phone calls after Nakasuk School staff received a bomb threat from an anonymous caller on Jan. 23.

Staff and police evacuated the school, and returned later in the day when police and emergency services found there was no bomb.

Const. Chris Coles said the call was likely a copy-cat prank, in the wake of two similar bomb threats earlier this month at Inuksuk High School, and Aqsarniit Middle School.

Coles said rewiring the phone lines was “severe,” but necessary.

“This has to stop, it’s tying up valuable resources,” Coles said. “It’s unfair to the school, it’s unfair to the kids, and it’s unfair [to police].

“There are other areas … we’d like to be working on, rather than responding to what is essentially a prank.”

Earlier this month, police arrested two Inuksuk High School students, who agreed to go through a restorative justice program for making a prank call.

Investigations are on-going, but police say there is no evidence linking the unsolved cases.

Anyone with information is asked to phone police at 979-1111.