UPDATE:
The active investigation is being deemed a ‘swatting’ incident.
The Halton Police says that it received a report on Tuesday morning from a male saying he had “shot and killed someone” at an address in the area of Maple Avenue and Thompson Road North in Milton. Chris Hadfield Public School and St. Peter Catholic Elementary School were placed in a precautionary Hold and Secure due to their proximity to the alleged incident.
Emergency crews attended the scene, including frontline patrol officers and officers from the Tactical Rescue Unit, K9 Unit and Criminal Investigations Bureau. An investigation found the call to be unsubstantiated and is believed to be an incident of ‘swatting’.
According to the HRPS, swatting is a criminal offence involving a dangerous prank call to the police, in which a caller makes a false report with the express purpose of having numerous police and emergency resources dispatched to an ongoing critical incident. They involve the response of numerous police and EMS resources as well as dispatchers and communicators in the call centre who are all reserved for service to a variety of legitimate community needs. False reports like these carry rippling impacts on our community’s safety and well-being. The risk to residents is significant.
Investigation is ongoing at this time in efforts to identify the party responsible for initiating the call.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Halton Regional Police Service at 905-825-4777.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
Two Milton schools were placed in a hold + secure Tuesday morning.
Both Chris Hadfield Public School and St. Peter Elementary School were held due to what was being referred to as an ‘active investigation’ in the area. The Halton Police says in a tweet that the measures were done for precautionary reasons only, adding that there was no threat to staff and students.
By 11:56 a.m., the Hold and Secures for the two schools were lifted.
The HRPS says updates are to follow…
