Boy arrested after incident at school

One person has been arrested following a police response to an incident at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College this afternoon (Tuesday 4 November).

A 17-year-old boy is in police custody on suspicion of a bomb hoax – communicate false information.

Firearms officers, the dog unit and specialist search officers were deployed to the college, in Broomhill Road, Bristol, after receiving a call just after 3pm.

Upon arrival at the college, officers identified the teenager and arrested him. A CCTV review was completed and the decision was made to conduct a precautionary evacuation of the college.

All students and staff were safely escorted off the site while specialist search officers and dogs carried out a thorough comb-through of the campus, focussing on the areas identified on CCTV where the suspect had been, and there was no evidence of an explosive device having ever been brought onto the site.

Temporary Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Rich Fear said: “When responding to incidents of this nature, we treat them with the upmost seriousness and attended promptly to ensure public safety.

“On this occasion, we are pleased to confirm that the threat was not credible and there was never a bomb on college grounds. We can also confirm that no one has sustained any injuries.

“The call from the member of staff reporting the incident was with good intent and the right thing to do, given the information they had received.

“We would like to thank the staff and students for their patience and understanding while we responded to this incident. Enquiries are ongoing and we will continue to engage with the college throughout.”

The police response at the school stood down just after 5.30pm.