Two of the three schools evacuated their pupils while the third went into lockdown. Essex Police have said the matter is being “treated extremely seriously” as they confirm two arrests have been made
Two young boys, aged just 12 and 15, have been arrested after a ‘hoax bomb threat’ was made to three schools.
Essex Police said the threats were made via the phone on the afternoon on Tuesday, May 20, to Kingswode Hoe School and Paxman Academy in Colchester and White Hall Academy in Melbourne Road, Clacton. Each of the schools impacted followed their own safety protocols and Essex Police have said the matter is being “treated extremely seriously”.
Following the threatening calls Kingswode Hoe School and Paxman Academy evacuated their pupils, while White Hall Academy went into lockdown. In a letter to parents, Deborah Kershaw, headteacher at Paxman Academy has praised students for their “exceptionally mature response and exemplary behaviour during today’s incident”.
She said: “Their calm and sensible actions were truly commendable and helped us manage the situation effectively. As always, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remained our absolute priority.
“We worked diligently under the guidance of Essex Police, following their instructions regarding all communication sharing and operational procedures. We are incredibly proud of how our school community responded to a challenging situation,” reports the Colcheser Gazeette.
Since the incident Essex Police have made two arrests. On Tuesday, May 20 a spokesperson for Essex Police said: “An arrest has been made after reports of threatening calls made to two schools in Colchester and one in Tendring. We responded swiftly after receiving reports of these phone calls and worked with the schools to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff.
“The threatening calls were made to the schools this afternoon (Tuesday 20 May). Our inquiries soon established the threats were unlikely to be of a credible nature. At this stage, nothing found during our investigation has indicated that the threats made were in any way viable or likely to be carried out. But this matter has been treated extremely seriously.
“A 15-year-old boy, from Colchester, has been arrested on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat and causing a public nuisance.”
In an update on their official Facebook page yesterday police confirmed the 15-year-old boy has now been released on bail with conditions attached while inquiries continue. A spokesperson added: “Officers investigating reports of threatening hoax calls made to schools in Colchester and Tendring have made a second arrest.”
The force added: “Although the calls were swiftly investigated and established to have no basis in any real threats, they caused significant disruption to pupils and staff. Our officers attended each school as part of their inquiries and have continued an investigation.
“This afternoon (Wednesday 21 May), a 12-year-old boy, from Colchester, was arrested on suspicion of sending a false communication with intent to cause harm. He remains in custody for questioning.”
No further details surrounding the content of the telephone calls have been released by police. For legal reasons, the two boys who have been arrested in connection with this alleged offence cannot been named