Two 18-year-old men have been arrested after two schools and a nursery went into lockdown on Tuesday afternoon following reports of a man armed with a weapon in the area.
Incident and police response
Officers were called to Bell Farm Way at 3pm following reports of a person armed with a weapon at the location. Armed officers were among those dispatched, and road closures were put in place along Bell Farm Way.
Officers arrived within eight minutes of the 999 call, and two 18-year-old men were detained and arrested for possession of an offensive weapon. They remain in police custody.
Lockdowns and safety measures
Three Rivers Academy instigated a temporary lockdown procedure as a precaution to safeguard staff and students. This has now been lifted and students allowed to go home.
Police said Three Rivers Primary School and Toad Hall Nursery also placed themselves into lockdown after communication with Three Rivers Academy. These have also been lifted and staff and children have left both sites.
Elmbridge Borough Commander Inspector Chris Thoday said: "We take any report of this nature extremely seriously and had officers at the scene within minutes. The school and other education facilities nearby also quickly instigated their well-prepared safeguarding plans to ensure the safety of pupils and staff."
He added: "We fully understand how concerning incidents like this are for our community and our investigation into the circumstances continues. Anyone with information which could assist us is asked to contact police if they have not already been spoken to."
