"Horrific abuse" aimed at Portsmouth RNLI volunteers condemned by the police commissioner
Abuse aimed at RNLI volunteers has led to the closure of Portsmouth’s lifeboat station
”Horrific abuse” aimed at RNLI volunteers leading to the temporary close of Portsmouth’s lifeboat station has been condemned by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones.
Mrs Jones has called for the capacity of the Coastguard to be increased, whilst reassuring the public that cover was in place while the lifeboat station was closed.
It comes after RNLI volunteers received threats and online vitriol for assisting the Coastguard in collecting 120 migrants who were crossing the Channel and then taking them ashore to Eastney in Portsmouth.
There they were met by angry protesters leading to a ten-hour standoff before the migrants were eventually transported to a processing centre in Kent.
Mrs Jones, said: “Following the RNLI’s decision to temporarily close its lifeboat station in Portsmouth due to staff welfare, I want to acknowledge the unlawful behaviour directed towards RNLI volunteers whose purpose is to keep people safe on the water. This comes following horrific abuse and fear directed at their volunteers on Sunday 6 September in Portsmouth and the subsequent abuse that has occurred since.
"It should not be for the RNLI to manage boats entering Britain illegally.
"While I am pleased the RNLI has confirmed search and rescue cover continues to be provided in the Portsmouth area, coordinated by HM Coastguard, I remain deeply concerned about our water-based borders in southern England. I’m calling on the government to urgently increase the capacity of the UK Border Force and Border Security Command in the English Channel and reassure law enforcement agencies this has been done.”
The RNLI has paused its services in Portsmouth in the wake of abuse of its volunteers after anti-migrant protests.
The charity’s volunteers have been targeted for helping migrants at sea, with footage posted on social media showing them described as “traitors”, after bringing a dinghy to safety in the Hampshire port city.
The RNLI said the Portsmouth Lifeboat Station has been “temporarily off service” since September 7.
The south-east head of region for the RNLI charity, Jacqui Irons, said it had a duty of care to volunteers, and took the decision ‘to pause activity at the station to review crew safety and wellbeing and to support those involved in the incident on September 6’.
She said: “Search and rescue cover continues to be provided by flank RNLI and independent lifeboat stations, and the most appropriate asset to respond to any incident will be co-ordinated through HM Coastguard as is the case around the rest of the coast.”
She added the charity looks forward to the Portsmouth RNLI “returning to operational service in the near future”.
The charity has another lifeboat station on Hayling Island and there is another lifeboat station independent of the RNLI in Gosport.