Bomb scare hits US Consulate in Auckland CBD
ABOVE: Bomb squad members suit up.MIDDLE: Firemen help block a sidestreet. BELOW: Police cordon off the Citibank Center, home of the US consulate.
UPDATED 5.45PM: Police have lifted a cordon around the US Consulate in downtown Auckland and traffic and pedestrians are allowed to move around as normal.
UPDATED 5.25pm : Police told bystanders that 'the bomb' was in a carpark at the back of the Citigroup Center which houses the US Consulate.
Staff and customers are still inside restaurants next to the carpark where police said "the bomb" was. Police earlier evacuated the Coffee Club across the road in the NBR building.
4.30pm: Police have closed Customs Street East in downtown Auckland following the discovery of a "suspicious substance" in the basement of the Citigroup Centre in Customs St East - home of the US Consulate.
Streets were closed around 4pm.
Bomb squad personnel arrived on the scene around 4.15pm, donning flak jackets.
Police, ambulance and fire officers are also on the scene.
The Citigroup building is being evacuated.
As well as vehicle and pedestrian access being blocked, people are now unable to access a series of Britomart bus stops, iconic eatery Sal's Pizza or, indeed, NBR's head office, which is directly across the street from the Citigroup building.
At 4.54pm, media was ordered off Commerce Street, adjoining Customs Street East.
Two bomb squad members entered the building soon after.
Police told NBR reporter Jock Anderson they are on the scene because of a "bomb scare".
Mr Anderson was threatened with arrest for obstruction if he attempted to re-enter NBR's building.
Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury vists NBR as the situation winds down.
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Comments and questions21
Much ado about nothing, as usual.
Our cops, always like to make a mountain out of a mole hill, just like they did when they closed off Federal and Victoria St-West, because the historic Palace building developed a few cracks. I bet they were itching to dress up as Teenage Mutan Ninja Turtles, and strut their stuff.
First poster a complete tosser. What is supposed to happen? Assume all is well, ignore it and if all turns to custard then wear the criticisms from tossers like the first poster....?
2nd poster is exactly right.
The Police should have sat around, ignored the bomb threat, then waited for the barrage of abuse from the same school of thought - regardless of whether it was a hoax or real.
If poster #1 has a home invasion the Police can ignore it, at risk it might have been a molehill.
How about managing a bit better, it created chaos with traffic.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is most unfair to mock. They are just doing their job, and having walked around the area at 5:30, I would have to say it all seemed very well organised. Traffic was diverted, and the intersection they now passed through had the light programmes extended, and so on. The whole thing was over pretty quickly anyway.
First comment utterly contemptible!! Give the Police a break - they are much maligned and do a wonderful job in very very difficult circumstances often putting their own lives at rest. They are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Well done our polide force.
Rambulitis - what a tosser. Maybe you can walk down the Pike River Mine and get those bodies out seeing you think that Police make mountains out of molehills.
Yeah I am with al the other moaners here.. I think the cops should ignore every threat and wait till an actual bomb goes off and then go about collect limbs and body parts... It would be a lot more efficient
To the one complaining about the traffic chaos, I think that was an unavoidable consequence. When you close off such a busy part of the city (2lanes each way, one of nthe main routes out of the downtown area) with zero notice, then of course there will be problems. It wasn't helped by people such as the one man I saw hop out of his car and walk over to a police officer to ask where to go...
I watched from a nearby building for about half an hour. While I support the police, I think some valid criticism is in order. I have some experience of blast zones from time in the army and unless the suspected device was thermo-nuclear there was no need to cordon the entire length of Beach Rd. The block around the Citi-group building should have been sealed. Police were still allowing pedestrians to enter that zone.
Say what you will, but our police can't think on their feet. Look no further than the body in the boot in the Baby Pumpkin case. They left that woman in the car, knowing there was only one suspect in her disappearance. Action-wise, our "sterling" police's action wavered between Stasis to Atrophy to, literally, Decay. They were that hopeless.
And what about the South Auckland liquor owner, who was left to bleed to death whilst bystanders were imploring for help? But the cops just hung back, reading their "Best-Practice Manual". Just useless. I could go on, but it makes me fume to think of all the other botch-ups.
Glad the police do something.. it could be really tragic if they don't act.. and if they did nothing everyone would have a great deal to say.. Rather be safe than sorry!!!
So what, no bomb? Just everybodies emotions running high. Who called it in?
No doubt about it, NZ police (at all levels) need more training, that probably means going to much larger jurisdictions, such as California and London...
Imagine if the package was shoebox-size -- these overly-officious, panic-stricken kops would've evacuated everyone from a 10km radius. A total over-reaction which NEVER commensurate to the uncertainty of a suspicious-looking parcel. But they're running true to form, our Mr. Plod.
FYI they never evacuated the Citibank building, i work in there and we werent even told what was going on, but we didnt get told to leave
NZ Police should follow some NZ bomb squad soldiers committed to Aghanistan for more practices, when it had a chance now.
These guys are not the bomb squad. Get it right!. They are the police search team.
The police are renowned for acting all gung ho towards law-abiding citizens; but when it comes to the real criminals, they put on the kid gloves and are reticent and reluctant.
Should more police be used to tackle the uniformed Black Power and Mongrel Mobs, eh?
Well the writer of this article must love Sal's Pizza to call it Iconic. I think The White Lady would be considered Iconic but not Sal' Pizza.
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