The Glades shopping centre in Bromely evacuated over security alert. Known as ‘The Glades’ the entire complex was shut down on Friday.
The Glades shopping centre in Bromely evacuated over security alert
Witnesses at The Glades in Bromley, south-east London, said ‘the alarms went off’ and people were ‘told to get outside’ as quickly as possible.
Police arrived at the scene with sniffer dogs and helped usher out all shoppers and workers.
The scene was chaotic as shoppers didn’t know what to expect as they panicked out of the doors with a speculating crowd watching the drama unfold on the surrounding high street where a huge crowd was gathering.
The entire complex was shut down
Police were cordoning off the surrounding area in the aftermath.
The emergency service response included a fire engine and police with dogs and a tactical unit.
‘There were fire engines, police vans, an incident response van and police dogs, with staff from the shops carted out onto the street.
‘Lots of confusion from the hundreds of shoppers out on the high street as the police kept urging them to move back away from the shopping centre.’
The suspicious package has been identified
The manager did not elaborate on the nature of the ‘suspect package’ and initially said the site would be ‘closed until further notice’.
But shortly afterwards the shopping centre began to be reopened after the incident was ‘stood down’.
Police said an ‘investigation into an incident inside’ concerning a ‘suspect package’ had taken place but did not elaborate further.
The Shopping Centre is now reopening following a police investigation into an incident inside. Thank you to PD Sirius and other emergency services in attendance for their assistance. pic.twitter.com/TsDqT3d2NJ
— South Area – Bromley MPS (@MPSBromley) August 30, 2024
The Glades has now been reopened
The force said in a statement: ‘Today, Bromley Officers responded to a security alert at The Glades Shopping Centre in Bromley. The shopping centre was evacuated as a precaution.
‘The incident has now been stood down, and The Glades has now been reopened.
‘Thank you to everyone and for the prompt and effective response and cooperation.’