Police warning to folks after a number of children go lacking on UK seashore
Lancashire Police said it had been forced to issue a warning after being called to ‘several reports of missing children’ in recent days
Families are being urged to stay vigilant following “numerous” reports of children going missing at beaches as Brits flock to the coast to soak up the sun. Police have issued a stern warning, reminding folks not to leave their little ones unsupervised at the beach, highlighting that these can be “very dangerous places”.
Over the past few weeks, the allure of clear blue skies and glorious sunshine, coupled with the Easter holidays, has seen people making a beeline for the seaside. Lancashire’s beaches have been a particular hotspot, with families descending on the area to bask in the balmy weather.
Popular destinations include several hotspots along the Fylde coast such as, Blackpool, Cleveleys, Fleetwood and nearby St.Annes.
However, Lancashire Police revealed that they’ve had to deal with ‘several reports of missing children’ in just the last two days.
The force highlighted that these ‘avoidable’ incidents have resulted in a ‘significant amount’ of police and coastguard resources being deployed – diverting officers from dealing with other crimes, reports the Mirror.
A post shared by Fylde Police specifically warned about the risks of leaving children unattended, particularly given the potential dangers when they’re near water. The post reiterated that a ‘significant amount of police and coastguard resources’ have been tied up in these instances.
The post read: “Now the warm weather is here we have noticed an increase in visitors and families enjoying the beach. Whilst this is lovely to see, we want families to do this safely.
“The beach is a very dangerous place for unsupervised children, and it is disappointing to see that youngsters are still regularly permitted to approach the water unsupervised.
“This could prove fatal, even to those who are competent swimmers. You are also risking the lives of the coastguards who would be deployed in a rescue situation.
“In 2 days, there have been several reports of missing children, which have used a significant amount of police and coastguard resources.
“These incidents are completely avoidable and have a detrimental impact to the service we offer, as when police officers are looking for lost children, we are unable to deal with or prevent crime.”
