Clown Craze

Dear parents

 

I’m sure you’ve seen recent newspaper reports and social media posts about the clown craze which seems to have spread to England from America.

 

Please find below Greater Manchester Police’s statement about this:

 

“I just want to reassure you that, while there has been a lot of speculation and rumours flying around on social media, police in Salford have received very few reports of sightings locally and no-one has actually been discovered taking part.

 

While investigations are continuing and the police have made it clear there is zero tolerance for any threatening  or menacing behaviour, they and we are urging people to avoid fuelling the craze and creating more distress by speculating and sharing rumours on social media.

 

We also want to remind you that, if anyone is found to be partaking in this craze, Salford City Council also has legal powers to deal with anti-social behaviour.

 

The safety of people is our upmost priority; we want people to feel safe going about their daily lives. The individuals who are getting involved in this may not realise just how frightening it is to be on the receiving end, especially for children. It shows a complete disregard for people’s wellbeing and will not be tolerated in Greater Manchester.

It’s important to stress that no-one has been physically harmed and I want to reassure people that we take reports of this nature extremely seriously.

If you witness an incident, or want to make a report, please contact police as soon as possible by phoning 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, ring 999.”