Truth behind claims asylum seekers caught wandering and ‘filming’ outside village primary school – police give migrants advice on ‘cultural expectations’

Police have urged asylum seekers to comply with “cultural expectations” following reports on social media that migrants were loitering outside a village primary school.

Northamptonshire Police has pledged to co-operate with a hotel housing asylum seekers near Deanshanger Primary School in Milton Keynes, following complaints of men “hanging around” and some even claiming that pupils were being filmed.

The migrants have been staying at the hotel – which is separated from the school grounds by a large area – for around three years and are among the thousands of people staying in temporary accommodation across the UK.

The reports first appeared at the beginning of December, when the primary school sent a letter to parents in which it responded to the reports.

In a letter seen by a local news outlet MKFMthe school said: ‘Dear Parents/Carers, I am writing to let you know that we have received reports of men hanging around outside the school during drop-off and pick-up times.

“I understand this may be disturbing and I want to assure 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 waiting for an update and will share any relevant information as soon as we receive it.

“In the meantime, I advise all parents and carers to be particularly vigilant during these times. Please rest assured that your children are safe at school, where they are well looked after at all times.

As an extra precaution, we will be keeping children away from the back of the field for now.

“If you notice any suspicious behavior, contact the police directly and then inform the school as a precaution.

“And finally, as long as we remain vigilant, it is important that children continue to feel safe. Let’s work together to approach this sensitively without causing them unnecessary worry.

“Thank you very much for your cooperation and support.”

Due to the concerns, some parents said they had decided to withdraw their children from school until the problems were resolved.

One parent told MKFM: “I took them away because they can’t be trusted. There’s no telling what someone from there is capable of. My children’s safety was more important and I felt it was the right thing to do, the school didn’t seem to mind.

“It wasn’t until people went to pick up their children from school that we were given reassurance as to why this wasn’t done when it was first brought to our attention.”

Other parents said Telegraph that they also temporarily pulled their children out of school for fear that men might enter the school playgrounds.

They claimed that men had been filming every day since September and that police had been regularly seen outside the school since reports began coming in.

Northamptonshire Police subsequently released a statement saying there had been “rumours” in the community about students being filmed, but these had not been confirmed.

A police spokesman said last month: ‘We are aware of concerns raised by people about alleged suspicious activity in Deanshanger in recent days.

“Having conducted all reasonable lines of inquiry for each report, we can confirm that we have not identified any criminal offences, increased risks or security issues at this time.

“No one has been identified by the Force as the perpetrator of the crime and therefore no one has been questioned. We have received no evidence of any wrongdoing or verified first-person reports.

“All reports currently received have been assessed as third party reports, based primarily on social media posts and not by villagers.

“We have increased patrols in the Deanshanger area over the last three months, in line with a number of identified local policing priorities.”

Police said they had been in contact with the school and officers would remain away from the school at key times for the rest of the term, but this was “not a response to an identified risk”.

Police investigating the reports have now said that while they found no threat to anyone, they would be working on “appropriate behavior and different cultural expectations” at the hotel.

Sergeant Lorna Clark, from the neighborhood policing team, told residents that officers had received “several calls” from people “concerned about men hanging around the primary school doing drop-off and pick-up”.

She said there had been numerous posts on social media and WhatsApp and that she had spoken to people with concerns and the school.

Sgt Clarke said that after investigating and asking officers to “report to the hotel” they found no threat to anyone and “there was no evidence that any criminal activity had taken place”, Telegraph reports.

She added: “While I fully appreciate the community’s concerns, I would ask that people do not take this matter into their own hands but continue to speak to police about any incidents they witness or any concerns they have.

“We have a good connection with the hotel and can work there on appropriate behaviors and different cultural expectations.”

Deanshanger Primary School has been contacted for comment.