Armed police at Aotea College after the school received a threat.
Armed police at Aotea College after the school received a threat.
A Year 10 student at a Wellington school described the panic teachers and students felt as the school was plunged into an hours-long lockdown this morning.
Police have confirmed Porirua’s Aotea College was locked down at about 10.30am after a student received a message to their cellphone with a threat against the school.
Kapiti-Mana Area Commander James McKay said police officers responded immediately and helped to evacuate students and teachers as a precaution.
“Police treat any threat as credible until the threat is addressed, and Police’s role is to ensure the safety of all. We’re aware of the distress this would have caused in the school community, and thank everyone for their co-operation today.”
Police left the school shortly before 4pm and were confident there was no current safety risk, McKay said.
They were following initial lines of inquiry to identify the person or people involved in the initial threat, he said.
The Year 10 student said police were armed and surrounded the school.
A police car outside Aotea College after the school received a threat.
The 15-year-old told the Herald, “everyone was shaken up because if you look over at America you see school shootings all the time and we were scared that’s what was going on.”
He said police had to walk students to the bathroom as they hunkered down in their classrooms for “about two to three hours.
“I was in my classroom doing work and then the alarm came on. Everyone [initially] thought it was a drill,” he said.
“We had to make our way to the main corridor. Everyone hoped it was going to be over.”
The student said police searched the school, sweeping classrooms and bathrooms throughout the lockdown.
The mother of a student told the Herald she understood some younger students had been “freaked out” after the school was told to go into lockdown as a precaution and police descended on the school.
The mother said her son saw “loads of cops and loads of police cars” responding.
She saidshe “totally feels the kids are safe”
Police continued to arrive as another mother waited outside. She understood officers were searching students’ bags.
”I just got out of my car to sit under a tree and the cop told me to get back in my car.”
Another mother got angry at a police officer, telling him her son was “still under the table”.
The officer replied: “it will go for as long as it goes for.”
A post on the school’s social media page said students who had parents waiting would be escorted off site and those that needed to wait for the bus or an alternative route home would be escorted to Te Manawa for further instruction
The threat came the same day as the NZQA Level 1 Music, Level 2 Accounting and Level 3 History exams.
A post on the school’s social media said the school had closed on the advice of police, and that an “organised exit” of students would be arranged as the school exits the lockdown.
Any students who were supposed to be sitting their exams needed to go to the nearby Mana College to sit them.
The post on the school’s Facebook group said that parents could come and collect their children once the lockdown was lifted - but would not be allowed on site.
“Parents may collect students from Okowai Rd and Frances Brown entrance. Parents will not be allowed to come on site.”
