A student with a knife was arrested at New Westminster Secondary School on Thursday morning after officers discharged an Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield (ARWEN).
The New Westminster Police Department said officers responded to a 911 call about a student with a knife at NWSS at about 10:30 a.m. on March 6. In a news release, the NWPD said the caller reported that a student with the knife had made comments that caused them concern for the safety of students and staff.
According to the NWPD, officers located a suspect holding a knife when they arrived at the high school.
“Police officers provided verbal de-escalation techniques in the hopes the suspect could be safely taken into custody; however, the suspect did not comply. Officers deployed the ARWEN, which is a less lethal distance option,” said the news release. “The suspect was taken into custody and the knife seized.”
The NWPD said the suspect, an 18-year-old female, sustained non-life-threatening injuries that were being assessed at a local hospital.
“This could have been an extremely dangerous situation,” said Sgt. Andrew Leaver, the NWPD’s media relations officer. “Thankfully, officers were able to use their training and experience to resolve this situation safely.”
The Record questioned the police department about de-escalation strategies used by officers at the scene.
“Generally speaking, de-escalation techniques involve a number of different strategies. These can include speaking slowly, giving task-specific instructions, and giving the person time to process instructions from police,” Leaver said.
Leaver said a hit from an ARWEN “mimics the force of a baton strike.”
“It fires plastic bulbs that are approximately four inches long by an-inch-and-a-half wide.”
Mike Lee, communications manager for the New Westminster School District, said the incident was handled promptly by the NWPD.
“Although the student did make worrying statements that resulted in NWSS administrators contacting the police, staff and other students were not directly threatened and there is no ongoing safety concern at the school,” he said in a statement to the Record. “The situation was isolated in a classroom.”
Lee said police officers were able to secure the student for their safety and get them the help they needed.
“The district would like to take this time to ask that the student's privacy be respected,” he said. “We will not issue further comment.”
The New Westminster Police Department advises anyone who witnessed this incident and feels they would benefit from the support of the Victim Assistance Unit to call 604-529-2525 or email [email protected].
