Police force finds no security breach after evacuation

The police headquarters in Devizes was evacuated as a precautionary measure

A police force which evacuated its headquarters found no security breach at the premises.

Wiltshire Police's headquarters in Devizes was evacuated as a precautionary measure at 18:00 BST on Tuesday.

The report was prompted by a person experiencing a medical episode at their home address, police said. They added that there was "no malicious intent".

Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin said: "At no point was there any threat to the public, officers or HQ staff.”

Emergency services were called to the scene and the public was urged to avoid the area, whilst a search was carried out at the premises.

The building was declared safe at about 21:00.

'No breach'

In a statement, Mr Dibdin said: “Yesterday evening, we responded to a report of a possible security breach at Police Headquarters Devizes.

“Whilst we were developing the information, a number of precautionary steps were taken to ensure the immediate safety of those on the HQ site including enactment of our security procedures and the deployment of armed officers.

“However, as new information came to light, commanders were able to identify that there had been no security breach.

As per standard practice, the force is now reviewing their procedures and response to the incident, he added.