On Wednesday, January 30th, the University of British Columbia Biological Sciences building was locked down by the RCMP for no apparent reason.

Reports indicated that the RCMP did not disclose a reason for the lockdown other than because it received a threat:

information is being withheld to protect the public, said Const. Annie Linteau. She said releasing details about the threat – which was not a bomb threat – could jeopardize the investigation.

As a communication student specializing in crisis research, I found it interesting that those in charge deemed it worthwhile to hold information back – communicators usually espouse that the more information one can provide to stakeholders, the better.

The next day, Belle Puri from CBC’s On the Coast interviewed Jim Stanton, a crisis communication consultant. I did not tune in but was sent a transcript by someone who knows my interests.

Stanton explained that the stakeholders (students) were communicating effectively amongst one another and with family via mobile phone and the internet; however, the voices of authority remained silent. Stanton emphasized that it is important for crisis communicators to explain what is happening and why people should listen to you. In other words, provide a method to your madness.

In the UBC case, there was no apparent reason students were told to stay in place. Moreover, Stanton said people require reassurance that everything is going to be okay; otherwise, lack of knowledge breeds rumour, fear, and panic.

The takeaway from the interview was that, in crisis situations, stakeholders need to be informed as to what is going on—and fast.

Today, Wednesday, February 6th, the Biological Sciences building was closed again, with classes canceled for the day. While the RCMP was forthcoming, the Vancouver Sun reported that the police were unsure as to the nature of the threat(s):

[RCMP Const.] Linteau would not say how the second threat was received, but said it was “unspecified” in nature, meaning it did not name a time, location or method of doing harm. It simply stated that the threat made against UBC last Wednesday — focusing on the bio-sciences building — would be carried out today.

Thankfully, everyone is safe, and it was a non-event.

From my observation of local and national media and from my perspective as a Canadian, the RCMP’s communication style has become an issue. I look forward to how this incident develops in light of previous events affecting the police force’s reputation.

For the official press release related to the most recent threat, here is the RCMP’s statement.

Full disclosure: The University happens to be a client of my employer.

(Photo credit: majamarko)