Cyclone-stricken Piha is facing yet another setback after thieves broke into the United North Piha Surf Lifesaving Service facilities yesterday, stealing radio equipment that is essential to the club’s lifesaving patrol operations.

The thieves broke into the club’s temporary portacom clubrooms and stole 17 hand-held radios, which lifeguards use to communicate with each other during patrols, as well as the radio base-unit that connects the club to the Surfcom, Surf Life Saving Northern Region’s centralised operations centre. The thieves also took a laptop belonging to the club, used for administrative and reporting purposes.

United North Piha Surf Lifesaving Service Director of Lifesaving Victoria Mulrennan says that the club is incredibly sad and angry at the theft, which she says was opportunistic and mean-spirited given the community is still recovering from the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“These radios are vital pieces of emergency equipment, allowing our lifeguards to communicate with each other during not only day-to-day operations, but time critical rescues and emergency response to events like Cyclone Gabrielle,” she says.

“This is a nasty, gutless act. We are still trying to respond to the impact of the cyclone, and these thieves have put lives at risk, at a time where Piha is already struggling. Our community is still largely cut off, and we want to put our focus on recovery efforts. Without these radios, our ability to operate patrols is severely limited.”

The radios are programmed to a private network and have no value to anyone besides the club, and Victoria says she’s hopeful they will be returned.

Surf Life Saving Northern Region CEO Matt Williams says that, while there have been many things Surf Life Saving has chosen not to get upset or angry about this summer, it is hard to look past this.

“One would hope the thieves were unaware that not only where they targeting struggling communities, but the services supporting those communities. We are dismayed that someone would target Piha at a time like this," he says.

“To steal equipment used to save lives really highlights the circumstances and desperation of these individuals. This isn't just a theft from the club, it’s a theft from the entire community.”

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