Commissioner backs petition calling for extra safety near waterways
The West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner has given his backing to a petition to help keep people safe near waterways.
Mark Allen’s Law was debated in parliament last month after the campaign attracted 100,000 signatures calling for more lifesaving throw lines to be placed around bodies of water such as lakes and outdoor pools.
The force area's commissioner, John Campion, heads the multi-agency network Home and Dry, which has been installing additional lifesaving gear in key hotspots across the counties to alleviate the risk of drowning incidents.
Mr Campion said: “The installation of throw lines and educating communities about their proper use is just one tool to keep people safe. I welcome this being raised at a national level.
"Here across West Mercia, the Home and Dry Network is taking a holistic approach looking at physical prevention alongside education, from an early age. We are making great strides, by working towards the same aims. Together we can prevent more unnecessary tragedies.”
Mark Allen, an 18-year-old student, from Wales, drowned after jumping into a freezing reservoir, in Gorton, Manchester, on a hot day in June 2018.
Since his death his family have been raising awareness about the dangers of open water swimming, for efforts to improve safety at reservoirs and for more potentially life-saving equipment.
The petition, which is now closed, attracted 103,535 signatures.
