RNLI lifeguards team up with Northumbria Police to ensure safer waters
On Monday 4 July, the RNLI lifeguards in Tyne and Wear undertook inter-agency training with Northumbria Police to increase patrols in and around the water.
The training session was delivered at Cullercoats Bay with both the RNLI lifeguards and Northumbria Police undertaking a series of training exercises and scenarios.
The training optimised the working relationship between the police and lifeguards as they intend to work closely together in the future. With frequent anti-social behaviour along the coastline, this inter-agency partnership intends to make the water and beaches safer.
Northumbria Police along the Tyne and Wear coast are now equipped with their own personal watercrafts (PWC) in a bid to support the RNLI. The training session aimed to educate both the police and RNLI on how to ensure the public safely use their PWCs – an essential factor due to an increase in incidents involving jet skis.
The Northumbria Police Marine Unit were trained in drowning prevention and practiced the RNLI’s essential Float to Live training.
During the training, a multi-casualty scenario was simulated where the officers used their PWCs to locate a casualty in the water, which was then communicated to the onshore lifeguards who safely escorted the casualty back to shore.
Water Safety Delivery Support Elliot Rogers, who attended the training, reflected on the inter-agency partnership: ‘The RNLI lifeguards are looking forward to working closely with Northumbria Police. We know this partnership will help make our beaches and waters safer for visitors.
'We advise all beachgoers to visit a lifeguarded beach this summer because if you find yourself in trouble in and around the water the RNLI will be on hand to assist you.’
Sergeant Simon Falconer of Northumbria Police also commented on the new partnership: ‘Operation Coastwatch is well underway. Northumbria Police Marine Unit now have the resources to respond to water-based incidents and can show our capabilities.
'This training means we now know each other’s best practices and we’re eager to learn from the RNLI. This partnership is exciting and we are keen to work together to raise water safety awareness.’
For more information on how to stay safe in and around the water, please visit: Water Safety Advice And Tips - Know The Risks (rnli.org)
Notes to editors
Water Safety Delivery Support Elliot Rogers is available for interview.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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