UPDATE: Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools says the hold-and-secure was lifted at 2 p.m.
PREVIOUSLY POSTED: Students and staff of two south-end Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools facilities are being asked to remain indoors due to police activity in the area.
Hold-and-secure protocols were initiated at Chase River and Cinnabar Valley elementary schools at about noon Friday, June 3.
“There’s police activity closer to Chase River, but … whenever there’s police activity in the community, in the vicinity of one of our schools, we typically go into hold-and-secure while the police deal with the matter,” said Dale Burgos, school district spokesperson.
Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, said police are at a nearby residence dealing with a situation involving an individual in a mental-health crisis. A negotiator was en route to the property, something O’Brien said is protocol in these sorts of circumstances.
“There’s no overt risk to the commmunity, it’s well-contained, and we expect to have it resolved shortly,” he said.
O’Brien said his understanding is that the hold-and-secure was partly so that children wouldn’t be walking past the scene of the incident.
“It wasn’t really necessary, but [the school district is] one of our partners and we just want to make sure everybody’s safe,” he said.
Under hold-and-secure emergency procedues, activated when there is a security concern in the neighbourhood, students and staff are brought indoors, with no one allowed to enter or exit the building. Classes continue as normal inside, however.