Media Release

Deliberate false activation of emergency beacons, Rockhampton

Rockhampton District Officer Superintendent Trevor Wockner said he was dismayed that anyone would consider deliberately activating distress beacons in a non emergency situation.

“Emergency or distress beacons, such as EPIRBs, are the life blood for anyone missing or lost on our seas or in our bush. They allow emergency responders, such as police, ambulance and SES, and federal authorities to know that someone is in trouble.

“The activation of emergency beacons is taken extremely seriously with extensive manpower and resources allocated to tracking the activation and locating those in trouble. There are often serious and significant risks involved for the men and women tasked with finding people missing at sea or on land,” he said.

Superintendent Wockner said it would not only be criminal but morally irresponsible for anyone to deliberately active an emergency beacon in a non emergency situation and potentially place at risk the safety, well being or lives of those genuinely in distress or the emergency responders who often risk life and limb to locate them.

Superintendent Wockner said there were serious penalties involved in the false activation of emergency beacons and police would take all such activations extremely seriously.

“Anyone who knowingly falsely activates an emergency beacon (distress signal) in a non emergency situation could be charged under the Marine Safety Act which has a maximum penalty of 200 penalty units (with one penalty unit worth $100.00).

“Police could also consider other options such as cost recovery for any resources used in tracking the emergency beacon and locating those who activated it. This could include the use of a large number of personnel as well as air, land and sea resources,” he said.

Police advised that one prosecution for a false activation of an EPIRB resulted in a person ordered to pay twenty thousand dollars costs and a five thousand dollar fine.

Anyone with information which could assist police with their investigations should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.