The number of bomb hoaxes has increased in the past three months of this year, with 126 hoaxes being recorded since the beginning of July. The population is concerned and feels unsafe when people are evacuated for antiterrorist searches carried out by the police. At the same time, the costs related to the large number of such interventions are very large and are estimated at tens of thousands of lei, show data of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which are quoted by IPN.

At the same time, the number of employees of the Ministry of Home Affairs who are involved in antiterrorism control and in the investigation of bomb hoaxes has grown by about 58% since the start of July alone. In order to discourage hoaxes, the Ministry suggests making the punishment with jail harsher and increasing the fines. Currently, the intentional misleading about an act of territories is punished with at most two years in jail. The proposal to amend the Penal Code provides that the punishment will be two to five years in jail, while the fine will be minimum 50,000 lei and maximum 150,000 lei.

The bill also stipulates a number of aggravating circumstances for which the punishment will rise to 12 years behind bars.

According to the Ministry, the proposal to amend the given article of the Penal Code is aimed at discouraging those who commit such acts. Every time such announcements are made, police officers are mobilized, street traffic is blocked and the institutional and economic activities are stopped for several hours. The lines of the 112 emergency service are blocked with such announcements so that the intervention period for real cases of accidents, medical needs and other emergencies in which human lives are in danger increases.

At present, the forces of the home affairs system are taking measures to discourage and prevent such deeds. They organize meetings with managers of buildings, public and private institutions, for these to take additional measures to step up guard and be more watchful.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the General Police Inspectorate, together with the Prosecutor’s Office, identified the author of the bomb hoaxes announced last week.