School in gun scare lockdown

POLICE still cannot confirm if a man acting suspiciously in Garfield last week was armed with a gun.
About 3.30pm last Thursday, police were called to Garfield after someone reported that a male about 25 years old was seen near Garfield Primary School with a bag that had a shotgun in it.
The sighting led to the school being locked down for about 45 minutes.
Pakenham Acting Senior Sergeant Ray De Reus said the reports to police included details that it was a shotgun with a wooden handle inside a potato sack.
Four police units attended the scene but the man in question had boarded a train headed for Warragul from the southern platform at Garfield Railway Station before police could question him.
The following day Garfield Primary School principal Michael Smith said the lockdown was a precaution following reports of a man acting suspiciously near the train station.
“A parent came in and said there was a potential problem, this man was acting suspiciously,” he said.
A Bunyip police spokeswoman said officers had received an unconfirmed report last Thursday of an armed man in the town.
“The only information I have is that a man may have had a gun and boarded a train for Warragul,” she said.
Children were eventually let out of school at 4.30pm.
Sen Sgt De Reus said it may have been a false alarm but police are still unsure.
“It’s a concern, but it’s still unconfirmed,” he said.
No arrests have been made.
– BRIDGET SCOTT and BEN CAMERON