Mayo school among hundreds to receive 'not credible' threatening email

A Mayo school was among the hundreds of schools across the country that was sent an email that gardaí have said was 'not credible'.

A series of bomb threats was made to a large number of schools around the country on Wednesday.

One of the schools which was sent the threat was Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh.

The Deputy Principal of the school, Michael Davitt, told the Western People: "We discovered a threatening email in our school email spam folder. We understand that this was a generic email circulated to a large number of schools across the country earlier today.

"We immediately contacted An Garda Síochána, who advised us that the threat was not credible and that there was no need to evacuate the school or take any further precautionary measures.

"The Department of Education advises schools to follow Garda instructions at all times in such situations, and we have acted fully in accordance with this guidance.

"We would like to reassure all our parents that students and staff are safe, and the school day has continued as normal.

"The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remain our highest priority. Going forward we will continue to remain vigilant and follow all relevant advice from An Garda Síochána in such matters".

Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton said in a statement: "We are aware that a number of schools have received a threatening email this morning.

"I spoke with the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, this morning and officials in my department have been in contact with An Garda Síochána at senior level regarding this incident and are continuing to liaise closely with them.

"The safety and wellbeing of students, staff and school communities remains our highest priority and my department will continue to work closely with An Garda Síochána on this matter.

"An Garda Síochána have advised my department and are advising schools that they assess this threat as not credible and there is no need for schools to evacuate.

"If a school has received this email, it is asked to please contact the emergency services at 999 and follow the advice of An Garda Síochána.

"An Garda Síochána has received a large volume of phone calls and will liaise with each school in turn, noting that with the volume of calls this may take some time."

Deputy Commissioner of An Garda Síochána Paul Cleary issued advice those who receive a threat.

"In response to recent increased activity in hoax and non-credible bomb threats, I would like to provide the following guidance about what you should do if you receive one, and how An Garda Síochána will respond.

"If you receive a bomb threat by email, letter or any other message, contact An Garda Síochána immediately by calling 999. 

"Provide as much detail as possible about the threat and the communication you have received.

"Once notified, our Garda Regional Control Centre will assess the credibility of the threat.

"Following that assessment, the Control Centre and/or the Gardaí responding will advise you on the most appropriate course of action. We will do this as quickly as possible.

"It is important to understand that a bomb threat does not automatically mean that a building needs to be evacuated, but attending Gardai will assist with this decision 

"In many cases, following an assessment, the appropriate response may be to provide advice or carry out a cursory search of the premises.

!Of course, businesses and premises managers retain the ability to make their own decision to evacuate. However, An Garda Síochána will provide professional advice based on our assessment of the information available.

!Our priority is, and always will be, the safety of the public.

!You can be assured that every such report is taken seriously and that An Garda Síochána is committed to providing a professional, proportionate and timely response.”

This follows threats sent to media organisations, including RTÉ and the Irish Independent last Friday.