Police have seized a suspicious device after a report of a possible explosive in south Canberra as investigators grapple with a separate cluster of pipe bomb finds in the city’s north west.
Officers were called to the Weston Creek suburb of Duffy on Thursday morning after a Triple Zero report of an explosive device.
Police took possession of an item for further assessment and the matter remains under investigation.
ACT Policing has not publicly detailed what the device was or whether it was capable of detonating. Police have also not said whether any evacuations were ordered or whether the incident is linked to other recent reports across Canberra.
The response in Duffy comes amid heightened community concern following the discovery of multiple pipe bomb style devices around Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen over recent days.
ACT Policing issued a warning on Wednesday night about potentially harmful pipe bombs discovered on Belconnen’s public walkways.
The Lake Ginninderra area between Joynton Smith Drive and Ginninderra Drive was the focus of the reports, according to the police who advised anyone who came across something suspicious to call Triple Zero and avoid touching it.
ACT Policing Detective Acting Inspector Anna Wronski told that 11 explosive devices had been found along about a one kilometre stretch of footpaths with some already detonated before they were discovered and others dealt with by police.
Police said no one had been injured and no property damage had been reported. Detective Acting Inspector Wronski said it would be inappropriate to speculate on motive and noted the matter was not being treated as an act of terrorism.
For residents, the back to back incidents underline the disruptive reality of bomb response work in a city where specialist policing resources are routinely called in at short notice.
Even when an item proves harmless, police procedure requires cordons, searches and a cautious approach that can temporarily reshape daily routines for nearby households and businesses.
ACT Policing has urged Canberrans to keep reporting suspicious behaviour or objects but to avoid handling anything that could be dangerous.
Police have reiterated that the right course of action is to move away and contact authorities rather than taking an item to a police station.
Anyone who witnesses suspicious behaviour can contact ACT Policing on 131 444 while life threatening emergencies should be reported via Triple Zero.
