Police have urged asylum seekers to adhere to ‘cultural expectations’ following claims on social media that migrants were loitering outside a village primary school.
Northamptonshire Police pledged to work with a hotel housing asylum seekers near Deanshanger Primary School, in Milton Keynes, following complaints of men ‘hanging around’, with some even claiming pupils were being filmed.
Migrants have been staying at the hotel – separated from the school grounds by a large field – for around three years and are among thousands living in temporary accommodation across the UK.
The claims first surfaced at the beginning of December, when the primary school sent a letter to parents to address the reports.
In the letter, seen by local news outlet MKFM, the school said: ‘Dear Parents/Carers, I am writing to inform you that we have been made aware of some men hanging around outside the school during drop-off and pick-up times.
‘I understand that this may be concerning, and want to reassure you that we are taking this matter seriously.
‘We contacted the police about this last week and again today to report the situation. We are currently awaiting an update from them and will share any relevant information as soon as we receive it.
‘In the meantime, I advise all parents and carers to be extra vigilant during these times. Please be rest assured that your children are safe whilst in school, where they are well supervised at all times.
Northamptonshire Police pledged to work with a hotel housing asylum seekers near Deanshanger Primary School (pictured), in Milton Keynes, following complaints of men ‘hanging around’
‘As an added precaution, we will be keeping children away from the back of the field for the time being.
‘If you notice any suspicious behaviour, please contact the police directly and inform the school afterwards as a precaution.
‘Finally, while we remain alert, it is important that the children continue to feel safe and secure. Let’s work together to manage this sensitively without causing unnecessary worry for them.
‘Thank you very much for your cooperation and support.’
Following concerns, some parents claimed they had decided to pull their children out of the school until the issues were resolved.
One parent told MKFM: ‘I took them out as they cannot be trusted you don’t know what anyone is capable of from there, my children’s safety was more important and felt it was the right thing to do, the school didn’t seem that bothered by it.
‘We wasn’t reassured until people went to take their children out of school why wasn’t this done when it was first brought to their attention.’
Other parents told The Telegraph that they had also temporarily pulled their children out of school amid fears the men may come onto the school’s playing fields.
They claimed that men had been stood filming every day since September and that police had regularly been seen outside the school since the reports started coming in.
Police investigating the reports have said they have not identified a risk to anyone, but that they will deliver work around ‘appropriate behaviours and different cultural expectations’ at the hotel. (File image)
Northamptonshire Police then issued a statement to say there had been ‘community rumours’ in relation to pupils being filmed, but it had not been confirmed.
A spokesman for the force said last month: ‘We are aware of the concerns reported by people about alleged suspicious activity in Deanshanger in recent days.
‘Having followed all reasonable lines of enquiry for every report, we can confirm that we have not identified any offences, increased risk or safeguarding issues at the present time.
‘No-one has been identified to or by the Force as having committed any offences, and so no one has been questioned. We have had no evidence of any crimes submitted to us, or any verified first-person reports.
‘All reports received at present have been assessed to be third party reports, primarily based on social media posts and not by people who live in the village.
‘We have had an enhanced patrol pattern in the Deanshanger area for the last three months in accordance with a number of locally identified policing priorities.’
The force said it had been in contact with the school and officers would be outside the school until the end of term at key times, but this was ‘not as a response to any identified risk’.
Police investigating the reports have now said that although they have not identified a risk to anyone, they will deliver work around ‘appropriate behaviours and different cultural expectations’ at the hotel.
Sergeant Lorna Clark, from the neighbourhood policing team, told residents the force had received ‘several calls’ from people ‘concerned about males hanging around the primary school at drop-off and pick-up’.
She said that there had been multiple posts on social media and WhatsApp and that she had spoken to those with concerns and the school.
Sgt Clarke said after investigating and having her officers ‘attend the hotel’, they had not identified a risk to anyone and ‘there is no evidence to support that any offences had taken place’, The Telegraph reports.
She added: ‘While I fully appreciate the community’s concerns, I ask that people don’t take this matter into their own hands, but continue to speak to the police about any incidents they witness or any concerns they have.
‘We are well linked in with the hotel and can deliver some work there around appropriate behaviours and different cultural expectations.’
Deanshanger Primary School has been approached for comment.
