Channel protest update

Following a protest at Dover on Saturday which received widespread media coverage, on Sunday volunteer All-weather lifeboat crews from Bembridge and Yarmouth were tasked by HM Coastguard to assist in an incident close to the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. This was the first time we have been involved in a Channel crossing incident of this magnitude this far west.

Crews from Cowes, Hayling Island, Portsmouth and Selsey were subsequently tasked to assist their RNLI colleagues with the casualties and to also standby for safety reasons while large numbers of protesters were in and near the water in Portsmouth, images of which you may have seen in the news and on social media.

I would like to thank, commend and place on record how extremely proud I am of all our lifeboat and shore crews who responded in extremely challenging and distressing circumstances over the weekend. I also want to thank our duty and regional support teams working behind the scenes to look after our volunteers and staff and help keep them safe, especially at Portsmouth RNLI, where the station was locked down for many hours.

This is consistent with the selfless, resilient way our operational crews, support teams, search and rescue partners, fundraisers and wider RNLI communities in the South East of England have responded over the past few years. We are One Crew, who together will respond wherever and whenever we are needed most.

Although everyone at the RNLI remains focused on our core purpose of saving lives at sea, at times of increased media activity like this it is only natural that members of the public, supporters, family and friends may have questions about our lifesaving work in the Channel.

Our purpose is, and always has been, to save lives at sea. When our crews are tasked by HM Coastguard, we will go to the aid of those who need our assistance, including those crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes in small, overcrowded and unseaworthy boats. When called upon, we rescue people - men, women, and children - in distress. Our crews then pass over responsibility for them to the most appropriate agency. This might be the ambulance service, HM Coastguard response teams, police or Border Force.

There is more detailed information and statistics about our Channel work on our dedicated website pages.

In the current climate, we are prudently reviewing our security processes and procedures to ensure all our people stay safe, no matter what your role is.

You are all empowered to make decisions to keep yourself, your colleagues and your teams as safe as possible. I would ask you to ensure that you always wear your RNLI identification in a way in which it can best be seen while on RNLI property. You should also challenge anyone who isn’t wearing ID, especially if they are trying to gain access to a RNLI building, or acting suspiciously. This may also take the form of removing yourself from a conversation with a member of public if you feel uncomfortable, or - where possible or appropriate - choosing not to wear RNLI branded clothing when representing our charity in public places. Your safety comes first.

If there is an emergency or a crime is in progress, call 999 or 999/112 in Ireland and ask for the police or Gardaí and if you witness an incident, please report it as soon as possible using this incident report form, which is also available on Volunteer Zone, or via your manager.

If you have any questions or need any support, please contact your manager and if you receive any media enquiries please direct them to the RNLI Press Office, as normal.

Thank you for all you do to save lives at sea.

Sincerely,

Peter

Peter Sparkes - Chief Executive