Police urge caution over 'disinformation' following reports of asylum seekers 'loitering' outside Northamptonshire primary school
Police have issued a statement following reports of asylum seekers 'loitering' outside a Northamptonshire school, urging caution about the sharing of 'disinformation.'
Complaints surfaced after reports of men “hanging around” near Deanshanger Primary School during drop-off and pick-up times. These concerns were reported in the national press over the weekend.
Headteacher Karen Moris said: “When we became aware of a concern raised by a small number of parents about the proximity of local asylum accommodation to Deanshanger School we raised this with the police. We worked closely with them to understand any additional steps we may need to take. Despite being assured that no member of our Deanshanger community is at any greater risk, we have taken a number of small measures to help reassure parents, these include ensuring extra staff are available at drop off and pick up.
“We would encourage any parents with specific concerns to continue speaking to our teaching teams and we will of course update all parents if any guidance from the police changes.”
Responding, a Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the concerns reported by people regarding alleged suspicious activity in Deanshanger last month and having followed all lines of enquiry for every report, we can confirm that we did not identify any offences, increased risk or safeguarding issues.
“No one has been identified to or by the Force as having committed any offences and no evidence of any crime has been found.
“All reports received have been assessed to be third party reports, primarily based on social media posts and not by people who live in the village.
“We have been in contact with the school and officers continue to conduct high-visibility patrols outside the gates at key times for reassurance purposes, not as a response to any identified risk. Parents or guardians are welcome to approach one of these officers who will be happy to speak to them.
“We continue to liaise with the local community, including the parish council, school and community groups, to offer reassurance and encourage anyone who has been a victim of crime to contact us and report it.
“We are also urging people to be mindful of what they share on social media, including WhatsApp, and take the time to consider if a post is genuine or could be disinformation or misinformation.”