The South Wales Argus has reported that eight pupils at Ysgol Gymraeg Gilfach Fargoed, a primary school in Bargoed, were accidentally hit by pepper spray during a demonstration by Gwent police on Wednesday.
PAVA replaced CS spray because it is "safer and more effective when restraining suspects", according to the BBC.
In a statement to the South Wales Argus, a police spokesman said:
The pupils were cared for by school staff, and their parents were informed. Parents were contacted by a senior officer to explain what happened, discuss any concerns and offer our sincere apologies.
Medical treatment wasn't required on the day, however, parents were advised to seek medical attention if they had any concerns.
A parent of one of the children told the paper the incident had been blown out of proportion. She said:
The school phoned each of the pupil's parents. Of course, my daughter was upset but she accepted the police's apology and decided to stay in school after the incident. She accepted the apology, so everyone else should. My daughter was absolutely fine and was able to go to see the fireworks display later that evening.
We're all human and it was not as bad as it was made out to be.
Yesterday, a 7-year-old girl was injured after a Nottinghamshire police officer accidentally fired a gun in front of a group of children. She was hit in the face by a flying cartridge, the BBC reported.