St. Albert’s schools locked their doors Wednesday morning as RCMP investigated a series of carjackings involving a gun.
The St. Albert RCMP ordered St. Albert schools and some daycares to enter a hold-and-secure mode at about 9:30 a.m. Cst. MJ Burroughs told The Gazette that the order covered all schools in town.
Parents all over the city received emails just before 10 a.m. stating: "All schools have been asked by the RCMP to go into a 'hold and secure' due to a situation in the community."
The emails assured parents students were safe inside their schools, and that classes were continuing as normal.
Hold and secure is when schools lock their outside doors in response to a threat in the general area, with classes continuing as normal within. It is a step down from a lockdown, where outer doors are locked and students shelter in classrooms in response to a more immediate threat.
In a press release, Burroughs said RCMP ordered the hold and secure out of caution as they “were involved in an unfolding event involving a carjacking.”
On Facebook, St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron wrote that the hold and secure was related to multiple carjackings involving a firearm and had led to arrests. The Gazette has yet to confirm these details.
The hold and secure order lifted at about 10:30 a.m. In the press release, Burroughs said two people were now in custody and that there were no longer any public safety concerns.
St. Albert schools sent emails out stating the hold-and-secure protocol had ended, and schools were "continuing on with our day as usual."
The Gazette has reached out to the RCMP for further details.
The investigation is still in its early stages and RCMP said they will provide more information once more is known.
