London man arrested after threatening call forces Northampton school lockdown

Earl Spencer Primary School in Northampton closed after a threatening call on Wednesday. A 46-year-old London man has been arrested and transferred to health professionals.

Northampton primary school locked down after threatening phone call

A 46-year-old man from London has been arrested after Earl Spencer Primary School in Streatfield Road, Northampton, was forced into lockdown following a threatening phone call, bbc.com reports.

Staff at the school received "a suspicious call from someone making threats" shortly after 11:15 BST on Wednesday, according to police. The school closed as a precautionary measure while officers responded.

The man, arrested on suspicion of malicious communications, has since been transferred into the care of health professionals, police confirmed.

Chief Inspector Nic Davis-Lyons said any threat directed at a school was "taken extremely seriously" and praised the response of pupils, parents and staff.

"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," Davis-Lyons said.

She added that local neighbourhood policing officers would maintain a presence at the school in the coming days to provide reassurance, and encouraged anyone with concerns to approach those officers directly.

Davis-Lyons also thanked parents, school staff and partner agencies for their "patience and support" during the incident.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)