Gerard Filion operation halted 1 school pickup in Longueuil

Police were carrying out a gerard filion operation Thursday afternoon at Gérard-Filion secondary school in Longueuil after the Service de police de l’agglomération de Longueuil said it had been informed of elements that could represent a potential threat inside the building. François Boucher said officers were still searching the premises and asked parents not to go to the school.

Curé-Poirier and school dismissal

Police deployed officers to the school shortly before 13 h on boulevard Curé-Poirier, near the end of classes when buses were arriving. Boucher described Gérard-Filion as an école secondaire d’envergure and said it welcomes about 1000 students, putting the afternoon pickup period under immediate pressure.

The school’s size and the timing of the operation meant the response unfolded as students, staff and transit traffic were already concentrated around the site. The SPAL said it had put preventive measures in place to ensure the safety of students and staff, and Boucher said the service was still in exploration mode.

SPAL updates on Facebook

The police service said no one was injured and the people presumed to be involved had not been located. It also said it would provide regular updates on its Facebook page as officers continued the operation.

For families, the instruction from police was simple: stay away from the school and let officers handle the scene. With buses arriving and the area busy, Boucher’s warning was aimed at keeping traffic away from the school and preventing added congestion around the building.

François Boucher statement

Boucher repeated that police remained in exploration mode while the operation continued. The service’s public message said it had been informé d’éléments pouvant représenter une menace potentielle à l’intérieur de l’établissement, and the next changes in the situation were to come through the police service’s Facebook updates.