The Christchurch Central Police Station public counter was shut down late this afternoon.

Several people said the entrance to the station was cordoned off with police emergency tape.

“I saw some police specialists going in with their toolkits,” a witness said.

A police spokeswoman confirmed to chrislynchmedia.com the front counter was briefly closed.

“Cordons were in place outside the front of the building, while staff and EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) assessed an item of concern.

“No issues found and the incident was resolved safely and without incident” the spokeswoman said.