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schools was placed under lockdown by Police A boy dressed in fancy dress was mistaken for a man with gun,
Armed police were dispatched to Firth Road in Bognor Regis after reports of “a man seen with a suspicious firearm”, leading to nearby schools including Regis School being put on lockdown.
Schools reopened several hours after police received the alert on Wednesday morning and police searched the area.
However, in the evening Sussex Police revealed that a 14-year-old boy had actually been seen with a toy gun.
Chief Inspector Dave Groombridge of Sussex Police said, “Firstly, I would like to reassure the community that we have identified the individual who was the subject of these reports, a 14-year-old local boy who was dressed in fancy dress.”
“We have met with him and his family, and can confirm that he had a toy gun with him at the time; he had no offensive weapons.
“I appreciate that this incident may have caused concern in the community, however I am confident that those who called it in to us did so with good intentions. Public safety is our priority, and due to the nature of the call received, we have deployed multiple units to the surrounding area.”
Police previously said they were responding to “a report of a man seen with a suspicious gun in Frith Road, Bognor”.
A mother whose child attended Regis School, one of the main schools affected by the incident, wrote on Facebook: “This [The Regis School] Went into lockdown as a security precaution. So they closed the schools but parents could collect their children. Like I did. Police were present and in other schools too.”
But police have now confirmed there is “no threat to the wider community”.