Evacuation of Wiltshire Police HQ not linked to terrorism, officers say

An incident at the Devizes headquarters on Tuesday night sparked a large emergency services response

Wiltshire Police insist there was no risk to staff or the public at any point
Author: James DiamondPublished 10th Sep 2024
Last updated 11th Sep 2024

A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police says there is "categorically no link" between terrorism and an evacuation of their headquarters on Tuesday evening (10th September).

Reports online suggested a major threat to the police base in Devizes had sparked a significant response from the emergency services, with several ambulances pictured outside.

A statement posted on the Wiltshire Police Facebook page at around 7pm said the premises had been evacuated as a precaution and asked members of the public to avoid the area, but gave no further detail as to what had prompted the action.

That was then followed with a further statement some three hours later, saying the response had been stood down.

"Contrary to some inaccurate media speculation, there is categorically no link to terrorism," the updated statement reads.

"For public reassurance, we wish to make clear that at no point was there any risk to staff or members of the public.

"There are no reported injuries and no arrests have been made."

Despite the updated statement however, it remains unclear what sparked the evacuation, with armed police also photographed on site at the time.

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