"People" messing with life Buoys

I was utterly disgusted earlier to see some numpty about to go messing with a life buoy by Clarke's bridge earlier. It looked like he was removing it from the cradle / stand whatever the thing is called. Given the floods last week and the river being searched I was amazed to see it. I pulled in and as I did so he pretended he wasn't doing anything to it (he did seem under the influence, I think I recognise him from being out and about in pubs and clubs in Cork), there were two other chaps just finished crossing the bridge, I asked them were they with that (expletive that I won't type here), they said they were, in fairness to them they seemed perfectly decent sorts, I told them to tell the chap that if he touched the life buoy that (you can guess, it involves violence), surprisingly enough they said they would, one of them apologised on behalf of him. I was thinking of ringing the Gardai but being 2.30 am on a Sunday morning I imagined they may well be busy with other numpties.

It does boil my p1ss though people pr1cking about with life buoys, I can't swim so I suppose I can really appreciate how reliant I would be on them if I ever observed some misfortunate in the Lee. This is the 2nd time in the last 12 months I have seen this sort of carry on, the last time was just off the South Gate Bridge, about 5 or 6 students (it was a Thurday night and they were all 20ish at most, they may not have been students) gathered around one.

I will never understand the kick / enjoyment / amusement people get from tampering with such things .

Rant over. (apologies if I spelt buoy incorrectly, also apologies if this has been covered before, I feel such things can never be mentioned enough though)

CB19Kevo

Good topic as its a serious issue in the City and fortunately enough the city council are on the ball with water safety and replace them very quick.
We are all used of the messing that goes on every night in the city but this has to one of the more ignorant acts to perform.
There a life saving device and really it aint on-no excuses.
Ive seen people messing with them before and have no problem calling the Gardai - A good kick up the arse is all thats lacking normally.

center15

CB19Kevo wrote: »

Good topic as its a serious issue in the City and fortunately enough the city council are on the ball with water safety and replace them very quick.
We are all used of the messing that goes on every night in the city but this has to one of the more ignorant acts to perform.
There a life saving device and really it aint on-no excuses.
Ive seen people messing with them before and have no problem calling the Gardai - A good kick up the arse is all thats lacking normally.

Same here, your could literally be costing someone their life.

Illkillya

Ya it's like smashing those convex mirrors they (used to?) have at some blind junctions or throwing stones at the fire brigade. Really does not make sense.

Tony H

I saw some idiots doing this a few years ago in Cobh , they were messing with the ropes and throwing them all over the place ,
I called the Guards and a squad car met them at the end of the quay and made them undo all their damage ,
It helped though that the guard station overlooks the quay and they could look out the window and see them .

deRanged

there's a website where you can report missing ringbuoys.

it's appalling to think that people deliberately vandalise these. god forbid one would ever need one and find it missing/damaged.

Miaireland

It might be worth reporting it to the City Council. I think the Environment Department handle it. They can replace it and check if the fool has removed any more of them.

Bill-e

Yeah I was working on the door of a pub a while back and saw a gang of girls walking down the street and one of them had robbed one of these and was matching down the street with it.

I was about to go over but a Garda car pulled up and one of them went up to the girls and asked really nicely for it back. They then put it in the back of the car and drove off. I was annoyed that they didn't give her a bit of a talking to or nothing.

People that mess around with these things have no common sense at all. There should be a huge fine for tampering with them yokes.

Bill-e

Bill-e wrote: »

I was about to go over but a Garda car pulled up and one of them went up to the girls and asked really nicely for it back. They then put it in the back of the car and drove off. I was annoyed that they didn't give her a bit of a talking to or nothing.

:rolleyes: Half the problem, the lady in question should have been thrown in the cell for the night. May well be one of those Gardai that poses for photographs with drunk women post 2am, we've all seen it.

topper75

Sore point with me for personal reasons.

I less than courteously reprimanded some less than savoury chaps in Galway who were playing with one last summer. The whole place turned around to look at me when I shouted and I strided over to them to give a piece of my mind. Now tbh- they could have beat me senseless but I think they were genuinely taken aback by my approach. They put it back and that was that. They actually funked off out of there with embarassment. I suppose it was one of those fight or flight things.

Never, ever mess with a lifebouy.