Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School reopens after police investigate reported threat

All campuses of Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School reopened on Monday afternoon, 10 November, after police issued the all clear following an investigation into a reported threat.

The government high school was placed on lockdown and the gates secured that morning in what the Department of Education described as a “precautionary measure”.

It said the Royal Anguilla Police Force was actively addressing the situation, and added that there had been “no incidence of violence”.

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The department asked all stakeholders to remain calm, and for parents, guardians and the public to refrain from attempting to enter any of the campuses until the all clear was given.

In a government press conference later the same day, education minister Shellya Rogers-Webster said a student had called in a tip to the Royal Anguilla Police Force at about 9am.

She said she had seen a weapon in a bathroom, but did not specify which bathroom, the minister said.

Police officers responded immediately and conducted two security sweeps, however, no weapons “of any form” were recovered.

Rogers-Webster stressed the importance of the public understanding that “no matter how large or small threats are, there is protocol in place to address those threats.”

She explained that the first step is a school lockdown, but “lockdown does not mean that a student has been hurt or there’s any serious cause for major concern”.

Instead, she said, it is a security measure to protect everyone on the premises while police carry out checks.

“This is a protocol that has been in place for quite a while,” she added, urging the public not to be alarmed when it is activated.