Questions being raised about police response to Halifax university lockdown – Halifax

One day after an armed robbery prompted a lockdown at Mount Saint Vincent University and a heavy police presence, questions are being raised about whether the response was appropriate.

At around 1 p.m. Thursday, Halifax Regional Police, RCMP and EHS responded to second-hand reports of a robbery at the university cafe.

Students were told to shelter in place while police arrived on the scene with tactical equipment and drones.

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“It didn’t seem like the type of thing I would imagine to happen at the Mount,” said student Erika Neufeld.

Neufeld had a friend on campus at the time and was growing increasingly worried about her safety.

“She was just leaving so thankfully she wasn’t caught up in any of it, but she said it was looking pretty scary and I was obviously concerned about what could be happening,” she said.

Halifax Regional Police defend the scale of response.

“It’s always good and appropriate to be upfront, just in case, right? Always good. Safety first. Remember, safety always first, we can always draw back and that’s exactly what happened yesterday,” said Const. Paul DesRochers.

“Any time that the police received information on any incident that could involve weapons, we’re not sure, we would conduct the appropriate response in relation to such an incident.”

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