Costly false alarms, Millions lost due to prank calls

Anastasia Cunningham, Senior Gleaner Writer

THE OLD adage "what is joke to you is death to me" is proving increasingly true to Jamaica's emergency and essential services, with thousands of prank calls each week sending scores of personnel on wild goose chases. The financial cost are heavy.

Just last week, an Air Jamaica flight was grounded in Florida following reports of an explosive device being concealed in cargo destined for the United States. This resulted in personnel from the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) travelling to the island to conduct investigations, and placing a 72-hour ban on cargo leaving Jamaica to the USA, or crossing American airspace for Canada and The Bahamas.

In the end, the National Intelligence Bureau reported that the bomb threat was a hoax "maliciously contrived to defame an employee of an airport concessionaire," Transport Minister Mike Henry told Parliament last Tuesday.

The imposed cargo restriction caused significant inconvenience for several persons and companies, as well as a great financial loss to the export industry.

Titus Evans, president of the Jamaica Exporters' Association (JEA), said two of their members lost over $12 million as their shipment of fresh produce was already at the airport ready for export when the ban was imposed.

"One of the things that people must recognise is the impact that those hoaxes have on the entire nation, because at the end of the day, the losses that exporters would have suffered are tremendous," said Evans.

Jean Smith, general manager of the JEA, said many exporters had to rearrange deliveries, which was quite inconvenient to buyers. "It is something you just don't want to do because you will look incompetent. Buyers don't want a story; they want the goods, and if you can't deliver, they will go elsewhere," said Smith.

Biggest loser

Papaya exporters to the USA and Canada, Advanced Farm Technolo-gies in Falmouth, Trelawny, was the biggest loser. Chief Operations Officer Ian Fulton said in the short term, they lost $8 million, and are looking at an additional $6 million in the long term. There was also damage to the company's name and reputation.

"Some of our suppliers were upset with us. Some didn't believe us. We had commitments to them, and they had obligations on their end and needed the supply," said Fulton.

According to president of the In- bond Merchants' Association, Kumar Samtani, liquor merchants were the main ones to be affected, however, they are yet to put a combined dollar value to the lost.

Joyce Delisser, proprietor for Sunshine Liquor at the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, said her store lost a total of US$19,000 in sales.