POLICE have issued an appeal after callous vandals damaged a defibrillator cabinet.

As the Star reported, the cabinet, situated at the Workers' Memorial in Vera Page Park, had damage inflicted, with the wiring stripped from it. 

The Workers Memorial charity came up with the idea of the statue, which has been at the location in 2019 with funds then raised to install a public access defibrillator at the site.

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

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"The cabinet was the unlocked type and at the time the defibrillator wasn’t stored in it due to technical issues, just as well," said John.

"Thieves stripped all the wiring from the cabinet using wire cutters leaving the cabinet beyond repair and needing to be replaced."

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

St Helens Star: The Workers Memorial statue was unveiled in 2019 at the site near the Steve Prescott BridgeThe Workers Memorial statue was unveiled in 2019 at the site near the Steve Prescott Bridge (Image: 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 deeply saddens us.

"We try to do good for the community and then in a flash all your hard work goes down the pan.

"We find it incredible that someone would choose to damage life-saving equipment.

"Not only has the charity lost out but the community as a whole

"We are forced to replace the unlocked cabinet with the locked type and that’s where we lose out.

"The Resuscitation Council recommend storing a defibrillator in an unlocked cabinet giving quick access saving vital seconds, we have lost that advantage. For what, a £1 worth of cable?"

St Helens Star: Wiring was stripped from the cabinetWiring 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 January 26, a defibrillator unit in Vera Park had been unlocked and the wiring removed.

"Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 23000075697."