The principal of a Sligo secondary school has called for urgent measures to improve security after a man dressed in combat gear and armed with three knives and an imitation gun entered the school and terrified pupils and staff.
Pupils of Summerhill College in Sligo town were returning to the school just before 2 p.m. yesterday when the 45-year-old man ran through the grounds and entered the school from a side door before being overpowered by supervisors and teachers.
"It was a terrifying experience for all of us. He was brandishing a knife and threatening people and claiming to be a Vietnam veteran," said school principal Mr Michael Murphy.
He confirmed the man had no connections with the school but it is believed he was known by Sligo gardaí and has been living in the town for a number of years.
Mr Murphy praised teachers and supervisors who managed to overpower and disarm the man within minutes. "I have the highest of praise for them, they acted very quickly. We have over 800 pupils here and it was a scary situation. It's a reminder of things that have happened in schools elsewhere."
Since the start of industrial action by ASTI members withdrawing from supervision duties, 10 new supervisors have been employed by the school. Three of these, two men and a woman, were involved in yesterday's incident. A number of teachers who were nearby also rushed to take the knives from the man and to keep pupils away.
One teacher described the scene as "pandemonium" and said teachers had difficulty calming pupils after the incident. Some pupils and one teacher were so traumatised they had to go home.
Gardaí, who arrived on the scene within minutes, later confirmed the man had two Swiss Army knives, a hunting knife and an imitation gun. It is believed he had been drinking earlier.
Garda Insp Gerry Connolly described it as a very serious incident and praised the staff members who overpowered him. The man was being held at Sligo Garda station last night under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.
Mr Murphy said the incident highlighted the need for greater security at the school, where CCTV cameras have been installed for a number of years.
The school campus is divided in two with a public road running through it. The newer part of the school, which was built in the 1960s, is across the road from the older building.
Mr Murphy said he had been having discussions for years with the Department of Education and with local politicians arguing the need for the school to be upgraded.
"We are very exposed and vulnerable and it is impossible to monitor people coming through, even with the cameras. We have been calling for the school to be upgraded on one site so we can protect the students and I am calling now for something to be done urgently. It is not good enough in 10 or five years' time, it has to be done now," Mr Murphy said.