WITH horrifying regularity, news comes in from the US of school shooting after school shooting. The narrative is the largely the same – a disaffected young man struggling with mental health issues gets access to a weapon and carries out the attack in revenge for some perceived slight.

Mercifully, in the UK, since the Dunblane shooting in 1996, which led to a huge tightening of gun laws, there have been no such atrocities. But that does not mean the authorities on this side of the Atlantic can be complacent.

Did North Yorkshire Police do enough when it was first alerted to the worrying behaviour of two teenagers believed to be plotting an attack in Northallerton? By its own admission, the force did not, and a senior officer has since reviewed its response. It is astonishing that neither boy was arrested until a full month after the younger confessed their plan to a teacher, and the short statement issued by North Yorkshire Police today goes nowhere near explaining what this review involved and what lessons have been learnt.

Likewise, North Yorkshire County Council and the school have questions to answer. Persistent bullying was mentioned throughout the case, and a safeguarding review was announced tonight.

While the responsibility for their actions ultimately rests with the boys themselves, the response of the authorities must be critically – and openly – evaluated. Only then can the public truly be reassured that this cannot happen again, or much, much worse, such a plan actually be carried out.