Masked men spark school lockdown in Smethwick

Local TV

A Smethwick primary school went into lockdown after reports of masked men near its gates. Police found no suspects, but the incident has left parents demanding answers on safety.

Transcript

00:00In Spevik, the school run turned into a lockdown.

00:04Shyland Hull Primary Academy shut its gates after reports of masked men near the site.

00:10Parents spoke of seeing weapons while children were kept inside classrooms.

00:15Police were called and the school acted quickly to secure the grounds.

00:20Officers arrived soon after but found no group.

00:23Their line is that a suspicious crowd has reported in the street.

00:27The school's version is firmer, telling families that adults in balaclavas had been spotted on the site.

00:34Parents are left uncertain about whether strangers crossed the perimeter

00:37or if fear magnified what happened outside the gates.

00:42It highlights the challenge for schools.

00:44Act too late and you're is calm. Act too soon and you feel panic.

00:48Staff must make that decision in seconds while children sit in silence, waiting for the all clear.

00:54For teachers it means turning drills into practice under pressure

00:57with the right of responsibility for hundreds of children on their shoulders.

01:03Police are reviewing calls and checking any CCTV from Montague Road and Edith Road.

01:09The school insists no child or staff member came to harm

01:11but some parents kept children home the following day

01:15showing how the sense of risk lingers even after the gates reopen.

01:19Across the West Midlands, safety around schools is already under scrutiny.

01:25Reports of gangs, knives and violence on nearby streets are a running theme.

01:30Whether this turns out to be a real insertion or a case of rumours racing ahead.

01:36The effect is the same, trust has been shaken

01:38and the daily journey to and from school now feels that much less secure.

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