Waregem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) -A threat message through email triggered the response at Sint-Paulusschool campus Hemelvaart in Waregem. The police made a thorough check of the school building yet they found no suspicious items. Educational activities ran without alteration according to the regular schedule.
The Sint-Paulusschool campus Hemelvaart, located in Waregem, experienced a threatening email that led to a police response. Police authorities thoroughly inspected the school building yet did not uncover any signs of danger. The faculty conducted regular teaching activities while police authorities provided increased security coverage at the school premises during the day.
We immediately took the threat seriously and notified the police,
says director Rik Desmet.
The students and parents were also informed, but we did not have to cancel classes.
The police searched the building, but the officers found nothing.
The threat could be anything,
says Jana Dewulf of the Mira police zone.
It could also just be a false alarm. During school hours we keep increased surveillance, which means that we are present at the school gate
It’s not nice, of course, but we shouldn’t panic either,
Desmet adds.
Last year we got a false bomb threat, around the same time, and it turned out to be a misplaced joke. That could be the case again.
How common are school threats in Belgium?
School threats that involve bombs and dangerous warnings continue to be an ongoing problem in Belgium. Federal police statistics show 50 school threats occurred across the nation in 2023 which had many false reports among them.
The Flemish region where Waregem exists comprised about 40% of recent bomb threats in Belgian schools. To combat school threats Belgian authorities initiated new measures consisting of quick police intervention alongside required evacuations during dangerous circumstances together with digital threat tracking by cybersecurity professionals.
Since 2022, the Sint-Paulusschool has also dealt with a fake bomb threat, which demonstrates similar patterns observed after international school violence incidents. Belgium established stricter consequences against false threat makers in 2020 by implementing fines of up to €10,000 and possible imprisonment.
Experts state that establishing the veracity of threats remains difficult, which is why authorities in Waregem have activated precautionary lockdowns and enhanced surveillance measures. The EU data shows Belgium stands among European nations with one of the highest frequencies of school threat incidents, but school attacks are notoriously uncommon.
