A GROUP of drama students sparked a security alert in Longbridge town centre on Saturday which led to an armed response unit being sent out by West Midlands Police.
The group from Starlight Theatre were making a film in the area and, having spotted the group’s members running around with guns, a call was made to the force and the officers were deployed.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson told The Standard: “Officers were called to a multi-storey car park in Longbridge on Saturday after a group of people were seen with a gun.
“It was quickly established that students were filming a drama course project and the gun was a water pistol.
“There was no threat to the public and the call was made with good intent.”
The spokesperson added the police would welcome students or other movie-makers letting them know if they were filming similar scenes in public spaces which could cause alarm to passers-by.
Scott Cartwright, 19, from Starlight Theatre, said: “We did apologise for the misunderstanding as well, to both the police and the security guard.
“If we’d have known who to talk to or where to go to let the right authorities know prior to what happened, the call could’ve been prevented.
“The guns cost us £1 each and we did not think they would cause such alarm.”
The police can be contacted via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk between 8am and midnight or via 101 at anytime.
