COMMUNITY Safety Minister Ash Denham has chaired the first in a series of meetings to improve water safety in Scotland.
The forum, on Wednesday, brought together senior leaders from a range of key organisations to reflect on recent tragic drowning incidents and identify ways of reducing the risk of future fatalities.
Organisations agreed to identify further improvements to current safety practices and report back to a follow-up meeting of the forum next month.
Following the meeting Ms Denham said:
“The Scottish Government takes water safety very seriously and this meeting was an opportunity for us to engage with key partners and reflect on the recent tragic incidents and look at what more can be done to mitigate risks and to educate people about the dangers of Scotland’s coastal and inland waters.
“Beautiful and enticing as they often appear, Scotland’s waters can be a source of lethal danger as we saw with the heart-breaking loss of lives this summer.
“I was heartened to hear a real determination and unity of purpose at Wednesday’s meeting for everyone to work together to improve water safety and I am encouraged all participants agreed not only to review their own organisation’s approach and performance, but also to work collaboratively so that key, consistent messages get across to the public.
“We have agreed to come together again in a few weeks’ time to assess what further effort is required to ensure greater protection for the public in future.”
