Drug dealers among suspects as bomb threat delays meeting

efforts to tackle the local drugs trade are among the suspects after a bomb alert delayed a public meeting in Banbridge last week.

If such was the case, they failed. That was the message to go out after Wednesday’s meeting of the Banbridge Policing and Community Safety Partnership was held up by the 30-minute bomb warning.

A police spokesperson confirmed they had received a report of a bomb left in Banbridge at 7.30pm on Wednesday night.

“Enquiries were carried out and the report was later deemed a hoax,” she said.

Ulster Unionist PCSP member, Councillor Glenn Barr, said he could only surmise that whoever was responsible was unhappy about the theme of the meeting.

Drugs misuse, locally and regionally, was on the agenda for the public meeting in Banbridge Bowling Pavilion alerted members to the bomb threat.

The PCSP’s Councillor Paul Rankin said, “It turned out to have been a hoax caller, but all they managed to do was delay the meeting for about 45 minutes.

“The meeting went ahead and it was a very productive meeting.”