Imagine you are in a crowded local festival and you come across a suspicious bag placed at peculiar corner. The bag looks like any other except you have no idea what is inside it. What you do next can impact the lives of thousands of people. In circumstances like these, it is best to be careful. In fact, suspicious items can be encountered in a variety of different situations. Sometimes, they might even be delivered to your home or office. Regardless of how it arrives, if you find a suspicious package, it should be handled with care.

Before you learn how to deal with a suspicious and potentially an explosive package, you first need to learn how to identify one. The tricky part here is that most of the times, these packages might look exactly like an ordinary one. However, intelligence agencies around the world have concluded packages that are deemed to be suspicious share some similar characteristics.

Identifying a Suspicious Package

If you find a package with these characteristics, immediately inform the relevant authorities.

• The package exhibits strange noises like ticking.
• Smells can be quite strong and resemble that of chemicals or cleaning products.
• Excessive wiring are sticking out from the box
• There are extensive postage stamps on it.
• The package is in bad shape, looks old and there are misspelled words on it.

All of these signs indicate that there might be an explosive or a poisonous item inside.

What to Do Next?

Regardless of the signs, if the package looks and feels weird, it is best to take preventative measures than regretting your actions later. Here is what you should do:

• Remain calm; losing your cool will only make the situation worse so try to stay calm and think clearly.
• Do not touch, tamper or move the package under any circumstances.
• Inform the authorities, immediately. Instead of telling everyone, we recommend you to inform your supervisor or the head of the family only, to create less panic. Once that is done, contact the relevant authorities, like Critical Innovative Advising. Our highly trained and impact-driven individuals are trained in Explosive Ordinance Disposal and will ensure your security immediately.
• Until the authorities arrive, maintain a distance from the object.
• Explain to the authorities why you think the package is suspicious.
• Follow any instructions given by the authorities and if no guidance is provided, calmly excaudate the area.
• Distance yourself from the place as there could be more suspicious items in the premises

Simply put, you never know when life throws an unexpected situation at you. In an unfortunate event, if you ever find yourself in a situation like this, maintain your composure, follow the above steps and contact Critical Innovative Advising right away.