In the end, the dramatic incident at Campbelltown TAFE college last night turned out to be a false alarm, as it were.
It all started just after 4.30pm when security at the college alerted local police two people were acting suspiciously – one of them allegedly carrying a silver pistol in her left hand
As a precaution the entire facility was placed into lockdown by security prior to the arrival of police.
By this time, and even before the arrival of the police, the incident was being mentioned on social media, one person publishing a photo purporting to be the two people “acting suspiciously’’.
The first thing police did after arriving on the college campus, which is located along Narellan Road, was review CCTV footage.
They then started looking for the whereabouts of the two people and completed a sweep of all classrooms and buildings within the campus to ensure the safety of all students and staff.
The search failed to find anything related to the security incident.
The campus remains in lockdown while police are in the process of going through each classroom and building
In the meantime, families of students attending courses at Campbelltown TAFE were informed that the college would continue to be in lockdown until further notice.
Parents and other family members were directed to the pick up location at the roundabout on William Downes Avenue near the Narellan Road exit to the college campus.
Around 7pm, two and a half hours after the college was placed in lockdown, officers from Campbelltown City Police Area Command attended a house in Campbelltown and spoke with a 16-year-old girl.
As part of those inquiries, police seized a water pistol.
Investigations are continuing into last night’s incident, which ended around 7.30pm.