In July we proudly announced that our first defibrillator had been installed in Redhill.
We now announce it was stolen a few weeks later!
As far as we know we followed all procedures, there were CCTV cameras in line with the unit, we were logged on with 'The Circuit' who were to notify us automatically if anyone accessed the information. Nothing! It was one of our members walking past who just happened to check the window of the unit who told us 'he thought the box was empty'.
The Police tell us the CCTV cameras actually rotate, nothing was caught on camera and the cost of further investigation far outweighs the cost of the unit. Our Insurance Company tell us so many units are stolen they make an exception for defibrillators - even though this wasn't mentioned in previous discussions. We were SO upset.
However, having had an article published both on Twitter and our local newspaper, our local Surrey County Council (SCC) councillor has suggested we apply for a SCC community grant, which he will support.
A few weeks ago we wondered if it would be worth going through the process of replacement, but we are now checking out every possible option and will probably be ready to re-install in the New Year. Let's hope a defibrillator isn't needed before then!