Special police called to siege

SPECIAL police forces were called to calm a man who threatened to blow up a house in Pakenham on Saturday night.
The dog unit, a specialist negotiator and a critical incident response team came from Melbourne to support local police called to a domestic dispute.
Acting Senior Sergeant Graham Higginbotham of Pakenham Police said police responded to a call about 9.30pm to a house in Main Street.
They arrived to find a man armed with a kitchen knife and a gas bottle threatening to blow up the house, he said.
Early attempts to negotiate with the man were unsuccessful, prompting the special forces to be called.
Police remained on scene until about 6.30am when the man surrendered without incident, Acting Sen Sgt Higginbotham said.
“Nobody was injured and it was resolved peacefully,” he said.
A 36yearold Pakenham man was due to appear in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court this week to face a number of charges relating to the incident.