OKEHAMPTON Primary School became the centre of police activity in the town last Thursday as specialist armed officers backed by dog handlers and the force helicopter carried out an operation in the area. The police moved into an area next to the school near the end of the day as many parents were collecting their children to go home. Sgt Mark Hoar, of Okehampton Police, said: 'We received information from another force that a man was in the area. 'We carried out an operation to secure and contain the area — but we found the man wasn't there. 'The only problem was that the area was adjacent to the primary school, it was a very high profile area, and obviously there was some concern raised by parents.' Sgt Hoar said police made sure the primary school was informed of the operation. He refuted rumours in the town that an armed man had been hiding in woodland nearby. He said: 'At no time was there any perceived threat to the public. I know it caused a lot of consternation amongst parents and if there was any other way of doing it, we would have done.' Sgt Hoar said specialist officers from the tactical firearms unit carried out the operation, led by a 'very senior specialist officer'. The operation had no effect on local policing in Okehampton, said Sgt Hoar. He could not give any details regarding the man officers were searching for. Brian Cunningham, headteacher at the primary, said the school's main concern was that children were safe and not concerned by the police activity. He said a footpath runs through the school site to a nearby caravan site and it was in this area that the activity was centred. Mr Cunningham said: 'Obviously it caused several rumours and stories to fly around and I think one or two parents, understandably, have phoned to express concern. 'I was actually not in school during the afternoon and as I drove away from the school the wind was blowing a gale and I wondered if we would get a tree down, but all the excitement wasn't anything to do with the weather in the end!'
