A major high-level police probe is now under way as investigators try to find the person or people behind a series of bomb threats which crippled operations at several public and private sector entities across the island on Friday.

At the close of the workday, head of the Jamaica Fire Brigade Commissioner Stewart Beckford told the Jamaica Observer that his team responded to 26 incidents across the island — the vast majority in the Corporate Area, with offices of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency seemingly particularly targeted.

In its initial report the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said, while its probe found the threats were hoaxes, “We remind the public that such actions are not only reckless and disruptive but also criminal. We strongly warn any individual or group contemplating these activities to desist immediately.”

The police added, “The JCF will pursue every lead to ensure that those responsible are identified and held accountable under the law.”

While several entities resumed services after being given the all clear by the police and the fire brigade Friday afternoon, Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) shuttered its locations islandwide at 2:00 pm.

“The tax authority values its customers and staff and is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all our stakeholders. Taxpayers are therefore being encouraged to use the online services available to conduct their transactions during this time,” TAJ said in a news release.

In the meantime, major private sector entities, the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, in a joint media release, condemned the bomb threats, “and any other actions intended to disrupt or undermine the democratic process of voting in Jamaica”, despite the police not confirming any motive for the seemingly coordinated e-mail sent to the entities.

“As a nation, we have come too far to allow fear and intimidation to compromise the rights of our people. Jamaica must show maturity and civility as a democracy — one where every citizen feels safe and confident in exercising their constitutional right to vote.

“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, secured through the struggles and sacrifices of our forefathers. Any attempt to erode this principle not only endangers lives but also threatens the progress and stability of our country,” said the private sector groups in the release which linked the bomb threats to the voting of election day workers, police and soldiers on Friday.

“The reckless threats may have caused major disruptions to businesses, eroding productivity, and creating financial losses for ordinary Jamaicans. However, these gimmicks have made our resolve even stronger, as the will of the Jamaican people and Jamaica’s electoral process will stand firm.

“The private sector calls on the security forces to be proactive and put measures in place to strongly discourage and respond to similar scare tactics on election day, also to act swiftly to identify those behind these actions and ensure the justice system deals with them to the fullest extent of the law,” said the groups.

Meanwhile, the two major political parties engaged in a squabble over the source of the bomb threats even as entities closed their doors and employees worried for their safety.

The first salvo came in a mid-morning media release from the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) General Secretary Dr Horace Chang, who claimed that it appeared that the bomb threats were designed to disrupt the vote of the security forces which was under way.

“It appears elements in the PNP (People’s National Party) have adopted mischievous and disruptive actions in an attempt to disrupt the voting of the security forces. I urge elements in the PNP to desist from seeking to cause disorder.

“It is important that the democratic voting process takes place unhindered and without the police being preoccupied with bomb threats which have been sent to some Government of Jamaica ministries and agencies. Law and order will prevail,” said Chang.

Less than two hours later the PNP responded, rejecting what it said were “the false and desperate accusations” made by Chang.

“When those in authority rush to spread false allegations without evidence, it is usually a signal of their own complicity. This latest statement by Dr Chang comes even before the authorities themselves have made determinations, and it follows a pattern where the JLP has made sensational claims that later collapsed under scrutiny,” said the PNP.

“Every accusation by the JLP is an admission. Having lost the debates, the JLP is now seeking to distract from their failures and suppress the vote of the security forces. Let it be clear: The PNP has made its case to the people and to the police, and we are encouraging every eligible officer to exercise their democratic right to vote freely and without fear,” the release quoted the party’s General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell.