Damage to life-saving equipment putting ‘lives at risk’

Vandalism of life-saving water safety equipment near waterways in County Tyrone is putting lives at risk, the police have warned.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said there had been five incidents along riverside walkways in the Strabane and Newtownstewart areas over the last two months.

These included damage to pieces of equipment, including throw lines, in particular along a stretch of the riverside walk in Newtownstewart.

“A throw line could be the difference between life and death for someone, who may be in difficulty in the water,” the police said.

“This equipment has a very clear purpose, and that’s to help save lives,” the PSNI said.

“It’s not a toy, something to be played with.

“For a person to fall into the water and not have access to life-saving equipment does not bear thinking about.”

The police have appealed for anyone who witnesses this kind of activity to immediately report it to police.

Community Rescue Service District Commander Ivan Barr said the “wanton” destruction of vital life-saving equipment defied logic.

“A few seconds of skulduggery could lead to a lifetime of misery,” he said.

“The next person needing this life-saving equipment could be you, or one of your family.”

Director of health and communities with Derry and Strabane Council Karen McFarland the equipment was strategically placed to people people in distress and could be the “crucial difference between life and death in an emergency”.

“Interference, vandalism, or removal of this equipment in addition to costing money to replace, it also carries potentially devastating consequences, jeopardising the safety of others,” she said.