Water safety chief makes suicide prevention plea

The country’s water safety watchdog has appealed for more people to undertake suicide prevention courses, after another spate of drownings that may have been linked to self-harm.

John Leech, chief executive of Irish Water Safety (IWS), was commenting following 10 drownings during January, “the majority of which appear to be through self-harm”.

However, neither the number of drownings, nor the number of drowning deaths which may be suicides, are particularly out of step with comparable figures for other years.

Mr Leech said that, over the years, IWS had “picked up” on a pattern regarding suicides by drowning in the winter months, as opposed to accidental drownings which are more prevalent in the summer months.

“From mid-December through to the end of this month and into St Patrick’s weekend, unfortunately it is a time of the year for drownings through self-harm,” said Mr Leech.

“It is unfortunately, regrettably, the norm.”

He stressed that not all the drownings to have taken place this year are suspected suicides, and that the circumstances surrounding the deaths are only ever determined at inquest.

However, he said that, in recent years, IWS and the Samaritans had ensured that areas where suicides have taken place now feature stickers advertising the services of the Samaritans so as to give people “a second chance”. He also said that one and two-day courses operated by the HSE, including the HSE Safe Talk and Assist course, were effectively a “first aid course in suicide prevention”.

Mr Leech said all lifeguards were now being trained in these courses and urged others to get involved.