HOAX CALL blamed for armed police Knaresborough ‘lockdown’

An ‘incident’ that led to a massive police response which brought a North Yorkshire market town to a standstill was a hoax.

By The Newsroom Wednesday, 16th October 2013, 6:26 pm

A telephone warning of an “immediate threat” to the public at a pizza takeaway in the town led to dozens of armed police on the streets and residents and schoolchildren warned to stay indoors.

The alarm was raised late afternoon, with those in the town reporting a ‘lockdown’ as police with automatic weapons and dogs swarmed the area.

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At least two men were detained at gunpoint though police stressed no one had been arrested. The scenes were captured in dramatic footage by one of a number of shocked residents watching from their windows in the historic market town.

Emergency accommodation had also been laid on by Harrogate Borough Council for those stranded by the alert.

In a statement a force spokesman said: “Our primary concern was to ensure the safety of members of the public and an immediate response to the incident was put in place.

“Following extensive and swift enquiries following the calls, officers established the calls were in fact malicious hoax calls.

“Officers have thanked the staff and owners of Paragon Pizza – who were the target of the hoax call – for their full co-operation during this incident. The incident has caused them considerable distress.”

An investigation is now underway into the source of the hoax calls. Police have not detailed the nature of the warning.

A spokesman added: “The Major Crime Unit is now conducting an investigation into the incident to bring the person or people responsible for the malicious communications to justice. To date no-one has been arrested.”

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy said: “This was a very alarming incident for members of the public and we would like to thank the communities of Knaresborough for their patience and cooperation while the police dealt with it. This includes the businesses who were affected by the safety cordons and the premises at the centre of the hoax.

“We treat incidents of this nature with the utmost seriousness and can assure members of the public that a full investigation is now underway to establish who is responsible.”

Around 250 students were this afternoon kept on the premises of King James’s School, as reports of the armed police operation swept the town.

The High Street was closed to all traffic and local residents described the situation as “lockdown”.

Stephen Teggin, owner of a hairdresser on the High Street, told the Yorkshire Post earlier: “There are police all over the place, with armed officers and dogs.

“The rumour is there has been an armed robbery somewhere. There is no-one allowed into the area around where the shop is.”

A worker at Sainsbury’s Local in the town centre said police had instructed them to remain inside.

She added that there were police everywhere and that she was “quite unnerved” .

Local residents took to Twitter as speculation over the nature of the drama spread. One said: “There’s a guy with a gun in Knaresborough.”