The St. Thomas Police Service responded to two high-risk calls Monday morning that ended up being hoaxes.
The first call was received at approximately 8:30 a.m. indicating that a family was being held hostage in the city.
When officers arrived at the address they located a family inside asleep completely unaware of the report.
The second call was made to Arthur Voaden Secondary School indicating that a man with a weapon was inside the school.
The school activated a code red and called 911. Officers completed a site inspection and did not locate a suspect.
Officers have thoroughly searched both areas and determined that no threat ever existed. There is no threat to public safety.
Police say the reports are the result of a harassment tactic known as swatting. Swatting is a prank call to emergency services activating a large response of police resource to a particular area.
Police continue to investigate the origin of the phone calls and are working to determine the identity of the caller.
If you have any information about these incidents please contact St. Thomas police at 519-631-1224 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
