Police have expressed concern over the use of inflatable toys in the open water after a number of incidents which resulted in people needing to be rescued in Auckland.
Sergeant John Saunders of the Police Maritime Unit says, “Four people have escaped drowning in two separate incidents on each of Auckland’s harbours.”
Sergeant Saunders says two people were assisted from the water when their inflatable pool toy overturned, in the Waitematä Harbour. In another incident, two female teenagers were blown approximately 1.5.kilometers off-shore from the Awhitu Regional Park on the Manukau Harbour. They were riding on a white inflatable pool toy swan.
While all the people who experienced trouble were rescued, police are concerned for the safety of people using these toys.
Sergeant John Saunders of the Police Maritime Unit in Auckland said, “ These are not boats and should not be used outside of a small sheltered swimming pool.”