A university and high school in northern New South Wales were placed in emergency lockdown after they received threatening phone calls around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
“There have been no reports of injury or shots fired,” police said in a statement.
A police operation is underway and the public is told to avoid the area.
On Facebook, Southern Cross University warned that its Lismore campus was in “emergency lockdown.”
“Police are currently on site and all students and staff are advised to remain inside until given the all clear,” it said. “Anyone planning to visit the campus at present should postpone.”
The Rivers Secondary College Lismore High Campus also posted that it was in lockdown, citing “an unfolding matter at the university.”
In a post to Facebook, the high school wrote: “Students are safe and the school will remain in lockdown until advised by police. Please do not attempt to collect your child. We will update you when possible.”
The woman, Louise Hardman, said what she saw was “freaky.”
At 4:03 p.m. local time, the university put out an update via its Twitter account saying that the campus in Lismore was “still in lock-down” and that they would provide further updates soon.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Detective Wayne Humphrey said in a press conference at 4:40 p.m. that following a major police response, he was “comfortable there is no current threat” at the campus.
Casino police station received a phone call shortly after 1 p.m. during which “a male made a number of threats ... in relation to the use of firearms.”
“As a result of those calls, a major police response was initiated in conjunction with the university’s security plan.”
Humphrey said that the police response was “commensurate to that risk,” which was “serious enough that armed police went to that location.”
The threat made in a phone call was “long enough that a police negotiator was able to converse with the male for some period,” Humphrey said, adding that the person has not yet been identified.
No firearms were found on campus and the lockdown was lifted.
Around 200 staff and students were directly affected by the lockdown that was announced for a portion of the university campus.
The incident will now be subject to an investigation, Humphrey said.
“Inquires will determine whether or not this was, in fact, an elaborate hoax or whether these was some substance to what occurred.”
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