P.E.I. school evacuation: Police investigation continues

RCMP on P.E.I. say they are still investigating a threat received on Wednesday that led to the evacuation of all the schools on the Island. The threat was later determinedto be not credible.

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"The investigation is very active and ongoing," said P.E.I. RCMP Staff Sgt. Kevin Baillie.

Similar threats were made in Nova Scotia, and in Manitoba as well, and Baillie said officers on P.E.I. are working with other RCMP units and with other police forces to determine if those threats are connected.

No suspect or suspects havebeen identified.

'At least one officer attended every school'

Baillie said RCMP worked closely with municipal forces to conduct searches in Island schools on Wednesday.

"At least one police officer attended every school in Prince Edward Island," he said, referring to those schools under RCMP jurisdiction.

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"During the first visit of police officers to schools, in some cases actual searches were done by officers to the schools in some cases we just ensured the schools were evacuated," he said.

"As we got into the afternoon we identified a number of schools that hadn't been searched by the police and in some cases we actually had them locked up, contacted the school board, and had a staff member open the school so officers could go in and ensure there was nothing suspicious in those schools."

Baillie said officers searching schools would have walked through the entire school and would have checked anything that looked out of place.

Fax 'not necessarily' significant

The threat was sent to RCMP in Ottawa via fax, which Baillie said is "not necessarily" significant to the investigation.

"A fax can be sent from a computer. You don't necessarily need an old fashioned fax machine to send a fax," he said.

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Nor, he said, does it make identifying a suspect any easier.

"There's a lot of software available for masking numbers where faxes, emails, IP addresses that could come up on a message like that."

Police presence continues

Baillie said police continued to have a presence in schools on Thursday.

"We've asked our officers this morning to spend a fair bit of time in and around the schools," he said.

"I'm aware officers have gone into schools and in some cases participated in discussions with school staff and students."

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