A primary school and college in South Wales were placed in lockdown yesterday morning, Wednesday, 26th September, after police responded to reports of a man carrying a rifle in the vicinity.
Both Risca Primary School and Coleg Gwent’s Crosskeys campus initiated lockdown procedures at approximately 9:30am, ensuring that all students and staff remained securely inside the buildings.
Gwent Police were called to the scene and conducted a search around the two schools. A man, who had been spotted walking along Dan y Graig Road, was found to be carrying a firearm. Officers seized the weapon, which has since been confirmed to be an air rifle.
One student, a 28-year-old mechanics student at Coleg Gwent, described the moment he saw the police rush to the scene: “I was walking to college when I saw about four police cars and vans flying down the road. I tried to get into the building, but no one was letting me in because they were in lockdown.”
A spokesperson for Coleg Gwent provided reassurance following the incident, stating: “We were informed by Gwent Police of a community issue in the Risca area that was unrelated to the College. As a precaution, we temporarily restricted access to our Crosskeys campus to staff and learners only. The incident was resolved quickly by the police, and our staff and learners at the campus were not in direct danger at any time. All college activity has now returned to normal.”
Risca Primary School also promptly communicated with parents. The acting headteacher, Mrs Farley, issued a statement earlier in the morning, which said: “Risca Primary School is currently in lockdown due to an incident in the wider community. Be absolutely reassured that all children and staff are safely inside the building. Please do not attend the building as we will be unable to let you in at the moment. This is a precautionary measure, and there is no immediate danger to children or staff.”
A few hours later, Mrs Farley informed parents that the lockdown had been lifted. She added: “Please be reassured that the children have carried on with their normal school day and were generally unaware that anything was happening.”
Gwent Police confirmed that no arrests have been made but investigations are ongoing. “We received a report of a man carrying an air rifle bag on Dan y Graig Road, Risca, at around 9am on Wednesday, 26th September,” a police spokesperson said. “Officers attended and carried out a search of the area. We recovered a firearm, which has now been safely secured by our officers.”
Caerphilly Borough Council also confirmed that there was no direct threat to the school and praised the swift response of the schools and police: “All appropriate procedures were followed effectively.”
