An unbelievable downer for the lifeguards of Bergen aan Zee: burglars stole three binoculars and one important beach viewer last night. The rescue brigade keeps an eye on swimmers. The post has also been completely turned upside down.
“The AED has been pulled from the wall, so has the fire extinguisher, the computer has been demolished and a first aid kit has been taken”. That is what Wilbert de Wit, commander of the post in Bergen, told Streekstad Centraal.
This morning around 9.00 a.m. a very nasty surprise awaited him: after a super busy and hot summer Sunday, it turns out that there has been a break-in. Thieves are believed to have entered with a beach pole.
“It was thrown through the window”, Wilbert describes the havoc. He also found the station’s computer on the ground. “We need a new one and it has to be programmed so that we can get back into our system. We are still looking at whether files can be transferred.”
He has no idea who’s behind this. “It looks like vandalism. The beer bottles are still there.” Text continues below the video.
Burglary at rescue brigade Bergen – NH Nieuws
So important things have also been closed, such as three binoculars and one large beach binoculars with tripod – worth two thousand euros.
Meanwhile, the Bergen rescue brigade has bought new water- and sand-proof binoculars for hundreds of euros, but the day commander still calls on the thieves.
“If they want to bring back the large beach binoculars, that would be very nice. We guarantee the safety of beachgoers and that is difficult now.” Police are investigating the break-in, but no one has been arrested yet.
In order to guarantee safety as best as possible, the lifeguards will be seen more often today in boats on the water. Wilbert has been working at the rescue station for about 30 years and has never experienced anything like it.
‘I have not experienced this in thirty years. Hopefully witnesses will come forward’
“Yes, once in the distant past, arson. Furthermore, there was sometimes vandalism and there was sometimes damage to a window due to a brick, but they did not go through.”
He’s cleaning up. “The balustrade has to be swept well for a few days with a vacuum cleaner. There are all kinds of micro-shards of glass in the grain of the wood. Also in the sand under the balustrade. We send away people who want to hide from the sun under the beach post.”
Wilbert hopes that the attention of the media will yield witnesses. “Maybe people will think back and realize they saw something last night.”
Busy day along the coast
The rescue brigades along the entire North Holland coast were standing yesterday on alert. The beaches were packed because of the warm weather and here and there was a strong current. There were also warnings about this in several places.
“Because there are many people on the beach, we get busy. That mainly concerns minor suffering,” said the IJmuider rescue brigade yesterday.
Unfortunately, a one and a half hour search by lifeguards and emergency services in Velsen-Noord could not prevent that at the beginning of the evening a 22-year-old man drowned. It is not clear whether he ran into problems due to strong currents.
Last week drowned a German tourist in Egmond aan Zee, when he wanted to save others. Keep an eye on each other, the rescue teams have called out several times.
? Don’t you want to miss anything from Alkmaar and surroundings?
Seen a typo? Let us know at [email protected]