School locked down by armed police after child ‘seen with air rifle’

[ad_1]

St Peter and St Paul’s Catholic Academy was shut down by armed police this morning (Picture: MEN Media)Armed police closed down a school in Lincoln today following reports of a child carrying an air rifle on the premises.
Officers arrived at St Peter and St Paul’s Catholic Academy in Western Avenue, Lincoln, just before 9.30am. They carried out a search of the site, but found no evidence of weapons.
The lockdown of the school was lifted after an hour with everyone safe but a heavy police presence remains in the nearby area. No arrests have been made, police said.
ACC Chris Davison said: ‘We understand this incident may have been very concerning for the pupils at the school, parents and local residents.
‘We do not believe there is any ongoing risk to the public. We take any reports of this nature extremely seriously and will always deploy specialist trained officers as a precautionary measure.
‘Local officers will be in the area throughout the day to offer reassurance to the public and they will be happy to speak with anyone who may have any concerns. We would like to thank the public for their support with our inquiries.’

Police found no evidence of a weapon (Picture: MEN Media)Earlier today headteacher Matthew Turton had notified parents of the incident via the school’s Facebook page.
He wrote online: ‘Good morning, please be aware that the police directed St Peter and St Paul Catholic Voluntary Academy to go into a lockdown at 9:30am this morning due to suspicious activity outside of, but in the vicinity to, the school grounds.
‘This lockdown lasted for one hour when, under police direction, we were informed to come out of the lockdown at 10:30am. There has been, and will continue to be, a police presence in the area.
‘All students and staff in the school are safe and well; please be assured that the safety of everyone connected to the Academy is my paramount priority at all times. Education will now continue as normal for the rest of the day.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.

Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more