Police appeal after defibrillator cabinet was damaged in Vera Page Park

As the Star reported, the cabinet, which is located at the Workers’ Memorial in Vera Page Park, was damaged with the wiring stripped.

The charity Workers Memorial came up with the idea for the statue, which was at the site in 2019, raising funds to install a public-access defibrillator at the site.

The damage to the cabinet was discovered on Thursday January 26 by charity trustee John Riley, who described the incident as “so disheartening”.

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“The cabinet was unlocked and at the time the defibrillator was not stored in it for technical reasons,” John said.

“Thieves used wire cutters to strip all the wiring from the cabinet, leaving the cabinet beyond repair and requiring replacement.”

John said the cost of a new cabinet together with the installation will cost the charity around £1,200.

The Workers Memorial statue was unveiled at the site near the Steve Prescott Bridge in 2019 (Picture: Stock)

“We are not a wealthy charity and this is a major setback to our finances,” he added.

“It’s so disheartening when something like this happens and it saddens us deeply.

“We try to do good things for the community and then all your hard work goes down the drain in no time.

“We find it incredible that anyone would choose to damage life-saving equipment.

“Not only has the charity lost, but the community as a whole

“We are forced to replace the unlocked closet with the locked type and we lose there.

“The Resuscitation Council recommends keeping a defibrillator in an unlocked cabinet, which allows for quick access and saves vital seconds. We lost that advantage. A £1 cable for what?’

The wiring was stripped from the cabinet (Image: Submitted)

Merseyside Police are appealing for information about the incident.

A spokeswoman said: “We received a report at 1.05pm on January 26 that between January 2 and 26 a defibrillator unit at Vera Park had been unlocked and the wiring removed.

“Anyone with information will be asked for DM @MerPolCC or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote reference 23000075697.”