Police Treat School Threatening Emails As Hoax

Police are treating threatening emails sent to nine schools in Northern Ireland today, Monday 24 March, as a hoax, despite the disruption caused, including the closure of some schools.

Officers received reports this morning from three schools in Strabane, three in Ballycastle, and three in Enniskillen regarding emails received in the early hours. Police were immediately dispatched to each of the affected schools to liaise with staff.

Following checks at each location, nothing suspicious has been found. Based on the information gathered so far, police have concluded that the emails are a hoax. Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.

While the three schools in Enniskillen remained open, the three schools in Ballycastle and the three in Strabane decided to close following receipt of the email. Chief Superintendent Gillian Kearney acknowledged the concern and disruption caused. "We take incidents of this nature very seriously and we understand the concern in the community, not to mention the disruption it has caused in each of the school communities and for students and parents," she said.

She thanked the schools for their cooperation during the initial stages of the investigation. "Thank you to each of the schools for their assistance with our enquiries to date," Chief Superintendent Kearney added.

Police have stated that their enquiries are continuing and they will maintain contact with the affected schools to offer reassurance.

Chief Superintendent Kearney also urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police. "We urge everyone, in the meantime, to be vigilant and report anything suspicious to police immediately by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency," she said.