A life-saving defibrillator allegedly stolen from Nar Nar Goon Fire Brigade on 30 March, sparked widespread outrage and concern in the community.
The brigade shared CCTV footage of a man allegedly stealing the AED around 2.40am, with the video reaching over 90,000 views.
However, it is understood the offender returned the device to another police station the following day.
Police subsequently arrested a 34-year-old man from Drouin following the alleged theft, and he has been released pending summons.
Despite the theft, captain Justin Seddon acknowledged that the thief set a positive example by returning the AED.
“It shows he’s acting with a sense of conscience. We see a lot of crime in the media, but this was different,” Justin said.
“When it was returned, it was still in its case, it hadn’t been damaged, it hadn’t been used, it hadn’t been tampered with.
“There was bad press towards the offender. Then people were grateful that the AED was found and that the offender had handed himself in.
“There have been people in our town that have suffered from cardiac arrest, so it was really humbling for us that we weren’t without it for weeks or months. It’s a life-saving device and it’s good to have it back where it’s needed.”
The brigade thanked the public for their support in sharing the CCTV footage, highlighting the power of social media and community involvement.
“When we had a look at our post, within 30 minutes of it, we were receiving many messages from the community,” Justin said.
“People were offering replacements and asking what they can do to help. It was quite humbling to see how many people wanted to help.
“We talk about the negative impacts of social media, but this is a really good example of the positive impact it can have.”
While no one wants history to repeat itself, protecting the life-saving equipment while ensuring easy access remains a challenge.
“We want it to be easily accessible, again we have security cameras in place that offer a good view, if any vehicle comes by. In this case we were able to track down the offender,” Justin said.
