Burlington Lift Bridge shut down almost nine hours as police investigate
By Matt Kruchak
The Hamilton Spectator(May 20, 2006)
Halton police sent in the bomb squad early yesterday when a stolen truck was found abandoned on the Burlington Lift Bridge.
For almost nine hours, traffic was diverted and ships were delayed by the incident that raised concerns regarding the security of the Hamilton port against terrorist or other attack.
The incident began early yesterday when a man entered the open gate of TWD Roads Management on Lakeshore Road on the Burlington side of the ship canal. TWD does contract work for the provincial government.
The man opened a sliding window, entered the garage, opened the overhead door and stole a truck used to salt roads.
He drove the vehicle to the lift bridge at 2:45 a.m. and abandoned it. The bridge operator notified police and the man fled.
When Halton police arrived at the bridge, they requested assistance from the Burlington OPP, the Hamilton Halton Marine Unit and the Halton police bomb squad.
Police didn't find any explosives and the truck was taken to Halton police headquarters for examination by the forensic identification unit.
"We have to treat everything as a terrorist attack," said Keith Robson, president and CEO of Hamilton Port Authority.
He said police followed proper protocol in responding to this incident. Robson said the situation demonstrates the need for more security.
"We will move ahead with our security plan as fast as we can," he said. That includes building more fences, installing more cameras and limiting access to certain areas. The Hamilton Port Authority received $400,000 from the federal government in March 2005 to upgrade security.
There has been an increase in attention given to the security of Canadian ports since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The lift bridge is run by the federal government. There has never been an incident at the bridge in the past and it's never been identified as needing extra security, said Alva Smith, acting regional manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada. Lift bridge operators work from a secured area and three security cameras cover the area.
In recent years, port officials have called in police and federal authorities to investigate two suspicious characters. One was suspected to be a terrorist trying to sneak into Canada while the second was sailing a recreational boat to the Middle East and was suspected of being an arms smuggler. In addition, they have reported suspicious people filming around the port.
Three ships waited to enter the Hamilton Harbour, creating a combined cost of about $40,000 for the delay, Robson said.
The man who left the truck on the bridge wasn't finished. He returned to TWD and stole a two ton pickup truck and drove to the Niagara region.
At 5:30 a.m., Niagara regional officers noticed the vehicle driving erratically and chased it until the pursuit was called off because of the speeds the truck was travelling at.
Halton police later supplied the media with a photograph of a similar truck, which was aired in several newscasts. A man in Beamsville recognized the truck and called police.
Officers responded to a Tim Horton's restaurant on Ontario Street at around 9 a.m. But the man, who police describe as about 30, with darker skin, standing 5'3'' to 5'6'', weighing about 130 pounds with dark hair was nowhere to be found.
Witnesses at the scene reported to police that the man's behavior seemed erratic.
Police cordoned off the vehicle and about 100 people were evacuated from area businesses. Niagara police's emergency task unit and emergency disposal unit were called in to assist along with the RCMP's disposal unit as a precaution.
Rick McCabe, maintenance superintendent for TWD, said it's doubtful the thief is a current or former employee.
mkruchak@thespec.com
905-526-3484
Photo#1 Kaz Novak, the Hamilton Spectator
A stolen truck was abandoned on the Burlington Lift Bridge and raised security concerns. Traffic and ships were delayed almost nine hours.
Photo#2 Forum photo.
By Matt Kruchak
The Hamilton Spectator(May 20, 2006)
Halton police sent in the bomb squad early yesterday when a stolen truck was found abandoned on the Burlington Lift Bridge.
For almost nine hours, traffic was diverted and ships were delayed by the incident that raised concerns regarding the security of the Hamilton port against terrorist or other attack.
The incident began early yesterday when a man entered the open gate of TWD Roads Management on Lakeshore Road on the Burlington side of the ship canal. TWD does contract work for the provincial government.
The man opened a sliding window, entered the garage, opened the overhead door and stole a truck used to salt roads.
He drove the vehicle to the lift bridge at 2:45 a.m. and abandoned it. The bridge operator notified police and the man fled.
When Halton police arrived at the bridge, they requested assistance from the Burlington OPP, the Hamilton Halton Marine Unit and the Halton police bomb squad.
Police didn't find any explosives and the truck was taken to Halton police headquarters for examination by the forensic identification unit.
"We have to treat everything as a terrorist attack," said Keith Robson, president and CEO of Hamilton Port Authority.
He said police followed proper protocol in responding to this incident. Robson said the situation demonstrates the need for more security.
"We will move ahead with our security plan as fast as we can," he said. That includes building more fences, installing more cameras and limiting access to certain areas. The Hamilton Port Authority received $400,000 from the federal government in March 2005 to upgrade security.
There has been an increase in attention given to the security of Canadian ports since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The lift bridge is run by the federal government. There has never been an incident at the bridge in the past and it's never been identified as needing extra security, said Alva Smith, acting regional manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada. Lift bridge operators work from a secured area and three security cameras cover the area.
In recent years, port officials have called in police and federal authorities to investigate two suspicious characters. One was suspected to be a terrorist trying to sneak into Canada while the second was sailing a recreational boat to the Middle East and was suspected of being an arms smuggler. In addition, they have reported suspicious people filming around the port.
Three ships waited to enter the Hamilton Harbour, creating a combined cost of about $40,000 for the delay, Robson said.
The man who left the truck on the bridge wasn't finished. He returned to TWD and stole a two ton pickup truck and drove to the Niagara region.
At 5:30 a.m., Niagara regional officers noticed the vehicle driving erratically and chased it until the pursuit was called off because of the speeds the truck was travelling at.
Halton police later supplied the media with a photograph of a similar truck, which was aired in several newscasts. A man in Beamsville recognized the truck and called police.
Officers responded to a Tim Horton's restaurant on Ontario Street at around 9 a.m. But the man, who police describe as about 30, with darker skin, standing 5'3'' to 5'6'', weighing about 130 pounds with dark hair was nowhere to be found.
Witnesses at the scene reported to police that the man's behavior seemed erratic.
Police cordoned off the vehicle and about 100 people were evacuated from area businesses. Niagara police's emergency task unit and emergency disposal unit were called in to assist along with the RCMP's disposal unit as a precaution.
Rick McCabe, maintenance superintendent for TWD, said it's doubtful the thief is a current or former employee.
mkruchak@thespec.com
905-526-3484
Photo#1 Kaz Novak, the Hamilton Spectator
A stolen truck was abandoned on the Burlington Lift Bridge and raised security concerns. Traffic and ships were delayed almost nine hours.
Photo#2 Forum photo.