Police are investigating a hoax call which led to the evacuation of a major York shopping centre.
Hundreds of shoppers and shop staff were cleared from Monks Cross Shopping Centre after police received a report of a suspicious package there.
The call came through at 10.10am on Wednesday (August 12). The centre was evacuated, roads were closed, and a major operation involving the emergency services got underway.
A North Yorkshire police spokeswoman said at the time:
Officers are conducting a full search of the area.
But that search found nothing and police sanctioned the reopening of Monks Cross just before 1pm, satisfied that there was no danger posed to the public.
Now the hunt has begun to find the ‘malicious’ caller who sparked the incident.
The spokeswoman said:
The safety of all concerned was our main priority.
We are treating the call as malicious and an investigation is underway to find out who was responsible.
Dealing with report of susp. package at Monks Cross, #York. As a precuation, cordon put in place & shops evacuated: http://t.co/fnyICHDgA1
— NorthYorkshirePolice (@NYorksPolice) August 12, 2015
The incident relates to a report of a suspicious package placed at #MonksCross. Priority now to ensure the welfare of those evacuated.
— NYP York North (@snayorknorth) August 12, 2015
Thank you for your patience, the cordons around #MonksCross are now being lifted. The area is now returning to normality.
— NYP York North (@snayorknorth) August 12, 2015
Anyone who has information about the caller is asked to contact police.
How to help the police
How to help the police| Call North Yorkshire Police on 101, press option 1 and pass information on to the Force Control Room | |
| Or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 |
| Quote reference number NYP-12082015-0119 |