Knife-wielding woman allegedly threatens group of schoolkids in Hemel Hempstead

At around 8.15am, seven young people aged between 11 and 14 were sat on a bench outside Boots when they were approached by a woman.

She initially engaged them in conversation but then allegedly produced a small knife and made threats towards them.

There was a verbal exchange between the group and the woman before she walked off in the direction of Marlowes shopping centre. No one was injured during the incident.

The young people called police and officers immediately attended. They ensured the victims arrived at school safely and the families of those involved have been made aware.

Dacorum Chief Inspector Paul Mitson said: “I can understand that news of this may cause some concern among the community, particularly in light of the incident involving two men in The Wye, Grovehill, on Tuesday which we are not treating as linked.

“However I can confirm that we have already conducted extensive enquiries into this morning’s incident and have identified a person of interest. We are also working to record statements from each of the victims.

“High visibility patrols will be in place in the area this afternoon and tomorrow morning so if you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to approach one of our officers.

“We have also received calls from several witnesses since the incident, however if you saw what happened and have not yet spoken to us please get in touch as soon as possible.

“This incident happened in a busy area of the town when many people would have been making their way to work or school. If you have any footage or images of the incident, we would be very keen to hear from you.”

If you have any information that could assist the investigation, you can report information online at www.herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via online web chat here or call our non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 41/62913/19.