A 46-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the Northampton school lockdown following reports of alleged threatening calls
A man from London has been arrested after a UK primary school.was forced into lockdown following a ‘suspicious caller’ who allegedly made threats.
The 46 year old man has been arrested after Earl Spencer Primary School in Northampton was put on lockdown in response to receiving the suspicious call on Wednesday, September 23.
The incident occurred shortly after 11.15am when the primary school on Streatfield Road received the call ‘from someone making threats’.
The school took the precautionary step of implementing its lockdown procedures to safeguard pupils and staff, and contacted police to report the incident, the force confirmed.
Police launched an investigation and a 46 year old man from London was arrested on Wednesday night by officers from another police force area on suspicion of malicious communications.
He remains in police custody at this time.
Chief Inspector Nic Davis-Lyons said: “We hope that the arrest made this evening will provide reassurance to pupils, parents and school staff, as well as the wider community.
“Any threat made against a school is taken extremely seriously by Northamptonshire Police and officers have been working closely with the school since this incident was reported to investigate the circumstances and identify a suspect.
“We would like to thank the school for the excellent safeguarding procedures it implemented today and for the clear priority it placed on keeping its pupils and staff safe.
“Local neighbourhood policing officers will continue to have a presence at the school over the coming days for reassurance purposes, and anyone with any concerns is encouraged to speak to one of these officers who will be happy to help.
“I would also like to thank parents, school staff and our partner agencies for their patience and support today. It is much appreciated.”
In a separate development, another school in Northampton was also placed into an emergency lockdown in what authorities described as an ‘unrelated incident’ on Wednesday.
Neighbouring St James Primary School was locked down after a man was spotted carrying what appeared to be a firearm, which subsequently turned out to be a toy gun.
