A heavy police presence in Okotoks' Crystal Green neighbourhood yesterday was due to a false report.

Just before 4:00 p.m., Okotoks RCMP received a report of a firearms incident at a residence in the Crystal Green area.

Due to the nature of the complaint, several RCMP vehicles responded, and as officers were setting up in the area, one of the homeowners emerged from the residence to speak with police.

The report was soon determined to be false and RCMP soon left the scene without incident.

Officers from detachments outside Okotoks were inbound but were called off.

These incidents are known as "swatting," where a false complaint is made to police in order to trigger a heavy police response.

An investigation into the origin of the call is underway.

 

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, HighRiverOnline  and OkotokOnline encourage you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the HighRiverOnline or OkotoksOnline app.