UPDATED: Peterborough Police Investigating "Threat Of Violence" Against A St. Peter's School
/UPDATE: November 24th, 2014 A 14-year-old St. Peter's student has been arrested and charged with mischief and false messages... The full police release...
Special Media Release for Monday November 24, 2014
On November 22, 2014 the Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service was alerted to an anonymous posting on a social media website, ask.fm, indicating there was going to be a shooting at SPSS on Monday. The posting did not specify St. Peter Catholic Secondary School in Peterborough or the specific date or time. The posting was circulated to some St. Peter Catholic Secondary School students in Peterborough asking, “Are you going to school?”
As a result of this information our Service began an intensive investigation in co-operation with staff at the Peterborough, Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board. From the beginning of this investigation it was believed this posting was a possible hoax. In consultation with the School Board it was determined that a notification be sent out to staff, students and parents advising of a potential threat for violence and that the school would remain open with an increased police presence.
Regardless of the fact that this was believed to be a possible hoax, The Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service does not accept these types of threats as a mere prank. Extensive resources were used to investigate this posting which caused a public safety concern and ultimately disrupted school activities for the day.
Over the last 24 hours our Service worked closely with police agencies in Europe to identify the subscriber information attached to the anonymous post.
As a result of the investigation, a 14 year old male, who attends St. Peter Catholic Secondary School, has been arrested and charged with mischief and false messages. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act the name of a young offender cannot be released.
The School will be working on its own appropriate disciplinary consequences following this incident.
Both the Police Service and the Board encourage students to report any suspicious or concerning social media posts to their parents or a responsible adult in order for a full investigation to be completed and to ensure the safety of the citizens in our community.
Police also remind those who are active on social media that ultimately you are not anonymous and there are avenues the police can pursue as well as avenues that criminals can pursue to determine your identity
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ORIGINAL POST:
St. Peter's Principal Sherry Davis has posted an alert to the St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School website notifying staff, students and parents that police are currently investigating a "threat of violence at a St. Peter's school that was posted on a social media site." In the alert, Davis says the investigation so far "indicates that the IP address for the posting originated in Latvia and Peterborough was not specifically identified" but the "safety and well-being of our students and staff is paramount and we take such threats seriously." The police will be at the school Monday (November 24th) as they continue to investigate whether the threat is real or a prank. Read the principal's letter in its entirety below...
