A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of making a
copycat hoax bomb threat.
West Midlands Police said the 14-year-old boy was
detained by officers after a call made to a school in the Great Barr area of
Birmingham on Wednesday.
The call was traced to a nearby phone box.
CCTV inquiries then identified the teenager – who is not
being linked to other hoax calls – as a suspect.
The UK-wide Association of School and College Leaders
(ASCL) said such incidents caused massive disruption and that reporting of such
incidents could encourage ‘copycat’ offending.
There has been a series of hoaxes in some areas of the
country in recent weeks, including the West Midlands, which have led to school
closures.
Inspector Noeleen Murrin, from Birmingham police, said:
‘These kinds of offences are not only a drain on police, council and school
resources but they also waste the time of pupils who should be receiving their
education.’
The Department for Education said it was aware of several
incidents, was monitoring the situation and also urged restraint in the
reporting of threats made against schools.
The department said in a statement: ‘Nothing is more
important than the safety of our children.
‘Where any school is subject to such a threat, real or
otherwise, there are clear emergency arrangements in place that have been
agreed with police and the local authority.’
The maximum sentence for communicating a bomb hoax is
seven years in prison.
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