Armed police attended an incident in Verwood on Monday evening after a boy said he’d been chased by teenagers with guns.
The police said they had received information that a group of teenagers, two of whom were allegedly in possession of guns, in the area of Bingham Drive.
But after inspection, it turned out that the allegation was not as originally explained.
In a statement, Dorset Police told VerwoodToday: “Officers, including armed officers, attended and a search of the area was carried out.
“It was subsequently established that the allegation was not as originally stated and the boy had just seen one person with a catapult but they had not made any threats or chased him. There was no evidence of any guns being seen.
“No further police action was required.
“Local officers will be carrying out patrols in the area today to reassure members of the public who witnessed the police presence yesterday.”