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Crawley College staff and students offered counselling

Students and staff at Crawley College in west Sussex are to be offered counselling after a man was arrested amid fears of a gun attack on 26 April.

As police continued to question the suspect, they have told the press that the incident, in which two staff members suffered minor injuries, is not being treated as terrorism. Sussex Police had been working with counter terrorism officers in the first hours after the incident.

Crawley College said in a statement: “We appreciate what a traumatic experience it must have been for all who were involved at Crawley in both the incident itself and the subsequent lockdown. We would like to thank everyone for their support and resilience during the course of yesterday afternoon and evening, including the police and emergency services. We will be offering counselling services to our students and staff.”

Sandijs Dreimanis, a local 18-year-old, has been charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and possession of a bladed article on a school premises.

Shootings at educational establishments have been rare in recent decades in the UK. British police have increased the number of armed officers to be deployed in emergencies and boosted training and tactics, amid a growth in concern in the last decade about the dangers and likelihood of a marauding gun attack.

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