PSNI investigates after email causes up to nine schools to close in Northern Ireland

Up to nine schools in Northern Ireland have been closed due to a “security concern”.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was liaising with the Metropolitan Police in London after an email was sent to schools in Co Fermanagh, Co Tyrone and Co Antrim.

Some schools posted messages on social media advising parents that they had closed.

A PSNI statement said: “Police received reports today, Monday, March 24th, of an email sent to a number of schools in Enniskillen, Strabane and Ballycastle.

“As a result of this email, we are conducting inquiries and liaising with the schools in question, and also with the Metropolitan Police in London.”

Jason Barr, an independent councillor in Strabane, Co Tyrone, said he was dropping his seven-year-old daughter off at Strabane Primary School on Monday morning “and was met by two police officers, who said: ‘listen, the school’s closed today due to security reasons’.

“I asked what the issue was, and they said they couldn’t disclose that at that time.

“My daughter kept asking questions on the way back home, what’s wrong Daddy, why are we not in school today, why were the police there?

“It’s caused a lot of fear and a lot of worry within the community,” he said. “There are now posts being shared online from as far back as 2016 about a bomb being found outside a school, so there’s a lot of false information out there.”

Mr Barr said three schools in the town – Strabane Academy, Holy Cross College and Strabane Primary School – had to close on Monday.

“Children’s education is affected today, parents’ income is affected because they can’t get to work, so it’s just caused widespread disruption and it needs to be condemned.

“Obviously there are other schools in Strabane that weren’t closed today but parents went to those schools and took their children out because they were afraid and they didn’t know what was going on.

“You’re supposed to go to school to feel safe, and then for parents to receive a phone call to say you have to remove your children from school as quickly as possible due to security reasons, it’s very worrying and parents are rightly angry and worried,” he said.

In a post on social media, Holy Cross College in Strabane said: “Unfortunately the school has had to close today due to a security concern.

“Any children already en route, we would ask that parents make arrangements to collect them.

“We will update you all as soon as possible this morning.”

The same message was posted on the Facebook account of Strabane Academy, and of Cross and Passion College in Ballycastle, Co Antrim.

St Patrick’s and St Brigid’s Primary School in Ballycastle said the school was closed until further notice.

The DUP said its understanding was that nine schools had been affected, including three in Strabane and three in Enniskillen.

The DUP Assembly member (MLA) Gary Middleton said he had spoken to the PSNI and there was no further detail on the nature of the email communication received by schools “other than that it was of a threatening nature.

“They are working with the Met police in England as well, so I think similar concerns have been raised at schools in England as well, so it seems to be across the board.

“It’s caused a lot of disruption today and a lot of concern,” Mr Middleton said. “The important thing here is making sure the situation is communicated well to parents so that they feel safe, but also that those who are responsible are apprehended.”

Meanwhile, Erne Integrated College in Co Fermanagh posted: “Due to a security alert this morning, traffic around the school and Erne Integrated Primary is extremely backed up.

“We are open as normal, after the all-clear was given by the PSNI.”

Additional reporting – PA.