On Friday, January 21st, just before 10am, a suspicious object was found on the 200 block of Durrance road. Saanich Police were called to the area and believed the item to be some type of explosive device.
The device was discovered by an area resident who was on their porperty and saw the item in the ditch area in front of the house.
The RCMP Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was contacted. As luck would have it they were already on Vancouver Island in the Nanaimo area. Given the unknown nature of the device, RCMP EOD used a robot and water cannon to ‘disrupt’ the device.
Forensic Examination revealed that the item was a ‘look-a-like’ being a foam water ‘noodle’ type toy wrapped in duct tape with a wooden handle.
This hoax is being investigated as a mischief. It tied up many police resources including the EOD team for most of the day.
If anybody has information on this incident, please contact the Saanich Police Department or Victoria Crimestoppers.
11-1527