Paranoia and Hysteria

Took the kids to school today only to find some of the teachers standing at the school entrances greeting the parents. Turns out that I had a choice of leaving my kids or taking them out of school.

Well it seems that the current man hunt for the murderer Raoul Moat had taken it's toll on people's paranoia - he has connections with many areas of Newcastle, and with a variety of reports saying that he was in the area caused a sense of hysteria that had people bolting their doors and closing the curtains.

The fact that armed police have been in the areas surrounding the school (and many other schools so there is nothing important about this one) has added an extra layer. After talking to many people I get the feeling that hear say and tabloidesque reporting is having an effect on the locals...

Not me though, and we have a long walk each day to and from school.