A total of 66 bomb threats have been made at the law Courts in Malta and Gozo since 2009.

Bomb threats at Court have become quite a common occurrence in Malta, particularly during the hectic months.

63 of these bomb scares occurred in Valletta with three happening in Gozo. Thus far this year, nine bomb threats at the Courts have been reported, according to information provided by the police, all of which have been in the Valletta Courts.

The highest number of recorded threats was in 2012, with a total of 19 being reported, according to the police.

In response to questions sent by this newsroom, the Police Department gave information relating to procedure taken when bomb threats are made in the Court.

The decision whether the Law Court Buildings should be evacuated or not rests on the Director of the Courts, who is duly informed by the divisional police as soon as a threat is made.

The Maltese Armed Forces Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD), as well as the Police Dog Section are then summoned on site to sweep the premises. The Divisional Police then conduct enquiries through the control room to establish the exact time and location of the anonymous call.

As soon as the location is established, police are dispatched in order to try and arrest any suspects. Any CCTVs in the area are also identified to assist in further investigations, the Police said.

Once the EOD confirms that the building is secure, the police will inform the Director of the Courts who will then re-open the Court doors to the public, and their daily duties can resume accordingly.

“Usually, this procedure takes around an hour depending on the intensity of the sweeping procedure by the EOD,” police said.

“Police investigations will continue in respect of the identification of the anonymous caller and the reason for such a phone call. In the event of a positive identification and acquisition of sufficient evidence, the culprit will be duly arraigned in Court and charged accordingly”.

A total of 427 people, including Judges and Magistrates, work at the law courts, 23 of whom are part-timers.

A conservative estimate of the total salaries for persons working within the courts, not including Deputy Registrars and persons with contracts on trust, stands at €7,059,522 per year. A single hour-long bomb scare, using the above estimate, results in an estimated €3,389 wasted in court salaries, assuming all employees are in court on that day. This does not take into account salaries of people who have taken time off work to attend court or the salaries of the bomb disposal and police officers involved.