Armed police swoop on fancy dress party

Armed police raced to the scene after a 999 caller reported two armed men, dressed in dark clothes, entering an office.

But, after a textbook cautious approach they discovered a cops and robbers fancy dress party.

Bosses at the Converso Contact Centre in Southend had staged the party as a team-building event. The passer-by had mistaken toy guns for the real thing.

Essex police condemned the incident as 'potentially a very dangerous situation'. Detective Chief Inspector Tim Raymond said: 'The two men involved clearly did not think about the implications of their actions.

'This was potentially a very dangerous situation and, as such, armed officers were deployed. It was quickly established the guns were imitations, however, the outcome could have been very different.'

Bosses at the Converso Contact Centre, in Southend, Essex, have apologised for staff having fake guns and have promised not to encourage them to dress up again.