PSNI praised for response to false alarm at primary school in Cookstown

Chair of Cookstown PCSP Cllr Tony Quinn said: “The Police reacted extremely quickly to an emergency situation.

“It is reassuring to see that protocols have been drawn up and are in place to deal with such situations.

“Resources were targeted in an appropriate manner and thankfully the incident was less of an emergency than what was initially thought.

“Parents and the community were extremely concerned when they heard reports through social media. I would appeal to people to think before they act in these situations. Information travels quickly through social media and in this instance it raised fear among parents”.

Mark Farquhar, Independent Member and Vice Chair of Cookstown PCSP said: “The Police worked quickly to address and contain this situation. We now live in a world were social media reports news and issues instantly. However it is important that information being communicated is correct so fear is not heightened within the community. While it is in everybody’s interest to remain vigilant it is also imperative that we do not cause unnecessary panic”.