RCMP Speak at RRHS

Radville - On Thursday, January 8, 2009 Sgt. Al Hofland, Detachment Commander of the Weyburn RCMP, was invited to speak to the students of RRHS and their parents concerning the bomb threat that had been reported on Monday, January 5th.
The students and parents gathered in the gym to listen to Sgt. Hofland. Sgt. Hofland was quick to point out that he was not there to point fingers, but to educate the students as to the procedures that are followed when an emergency is reported and all the emergency personnel that can become involved very quickly, such as the Ambulance, Fire Department and the many departments within the RCMP that become involved depending on the emergency. If the emergency turns out to be a hoax and isn't realized in time there is not only a considerable unnecessary expense occurred but these services may be pulled away from somewhere else where they could legitimately be needed.
Sgt. Hofland did commend the RRHS staff and students as to how they handled the situation. The evacuation of the school to the Recreation Complex was carried out in an orderly and timely fashion. Had the call not been found to be a hoax the parents would have been notified but before this protocol could be implemented it was discovered that the threat was not real. Once it was determined that there was no danger, the students returned to the school and resumed their classes.
Sgt. Hofland is the Detachment Commander of the Weyburn RCMP office. He has been on the force for 22 years and had his last assignment in Prince Albert where he was a member of the Major Crimes Division.