At 11:10 a.m. Monday, the St. Albert RCMP detachment got a call from the Catholic School Division about a disturbing report it had received.
The Greater St. Albert Catholic School Division took a call from someone who sounded young, claiming a man wearing a black trench coat was carrying a gun near St. Albert Catholic High or Vincent J. Maloney schools.
RCMP asked both schools to put hold-and-secure procedures in place. Officers responded to the location, set up a safety perimeter and investigated.
READ MORE: What’s the difference between a school lockdown and a ‘hold and secure’?
By 11:25 a.m. RCMP determined the call was a prank. Both schools lifted the procedure.
Officers said the call concerned students, staff and parents. They stressed false reports tie up emergency resources and create fear in the community.
The school division and police are working to find out who made the false allegation.
A hold-and-secure is a status used when there’s a threat in the general vicinity of a school, but not on or near school property.