Wellington County OPP Inspector Scott Lawson has ruled police responded in a “timely manner” to a recent incident involving a bomb threat on a Greyhound bus.
Lawson said in a press release that he conducted an internal review of the incident, which took place on Feb. 21 at about 7:05am at the Aberfoyle Go station in Puslinch Township.
The review was prompted by “concerns” raised by passengers on the bus about the response time by police. Reports suggest it took OPP officers upwards of 25 minutes to respond to the station.
“Despite the challenging road and weather conditions, officers arrived in a timely manner that was conducive to public and officer safety,” Lawson said in a Feb. 28 statement.
He later added, “Wellington County OPP prides itself on public accountability and transparency and we have been both in this situation.”
Officers were called to the Go station on MacLean Road in response to a report of a man on a bus threatening to blow it up with a bomb. The original report states police arrived to find the suspect pacing back and forth on the bus and speaking with the driver.
Police moved the passengers, who had already exited the bus under the direction of the driver, to the exterior of the bus station and the suspect was apprehended and taken to a local hospital for a mental assessment.
The media was not informed about the incident until four days later.
“This incident should have been provided to the media from the onset and that has been addressed,” Lawson said in his review findings.
He told the Advertiser the review was intended “to make sure we responded correctly,” based on passenger reports and 911 emergency calls.
“I am satisfied that all those passengers who placed emergency calls were properly received and communicated to our responding officers,” Lawson said in his statement.
Police credit the bus driver for getting all the passengers off safely and for “calming and reassuring the distraught male until police arrived.”
The OPP is reviewing evidence to determine if criminal charges will be laid.
