Social media “threats” against Brine Leas in Nantwich are hoax, say police

Alleged “threats” made against Brine Leas School in Nantwich are hoax, police have said.

Officers were called in after the “threats” were reported as being posted on social media sites including Instagram and Snapchat.

Now police have traced the source of the posts and identified the culprit.

Inspector John Forshaw said: “Following an investigation, and working with the school, I can now confirm that the threats made earlier in the week via social media were a hoax.

“Officers have identified the person responsible for the messages, they have been spoken to and will be dealt with appropriately.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind everybody how destructive social media can be if used inappropriately.

“Officers will continue to provide reassurance at the school over the coming week and If anyone has any concerns to speak to a local officer.”

Brine Leas headteacher David Cole, who wrote to parents, said: “I hope that you understand that while swift and effective measures have been taken to reach this point, it is not always possible to give instantaneous updates.

“Many of you have asked about how we keep the children and staff secure within school and what our arrangements were in the case of an emergency.

“All sensible and reasonable precautions are and will continue be taken to keep everyone safe.

“You will understand specific arrangements are confidential for obvious reasons, but both the school and Cheshire Police have done all that is possible in a situation such as this, which has now been confirmed as a hoax.

“I would ask that you share this with your children and reassure them. We will take steps to give these reassurances, working around the GCSE and A Level exams that are underway at school.

“Cheshire Police have been extremely supportive of the school and I would like to publicly thank them for their efforts to get us to this point.

“They work closely with the school for support, liaison and education.

“The vast majority of the time that Cheshire Police are in school is not out of necessity, but is part of the positive working relationship that we have with them and in particular our liaison officer, PC Stonier and many of his colleagues.”