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Mass resignation of St Helier Lifeboat crew

All 25 members of the St Helier Lifeboat crew have resigned along with five members of the admin & management team.

It follows a meeting between the boats Coxswain, Andy Hibbs and the RNLI where he was asked to stand down.

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Jersey's lifeboat crew won't go back into service until sacked coxswain is reinstated

The St Helier lifeboat crew have told the RNLI they will not return to work until coxswain Andy Hibbs is reinstated.

In a letter they released this morning they say 'he has been a tutor to us all' and 'the majority of us have at some time or other placed complete trust in him, in terms of our lives'.

They say the RNLI still hasn't given them any reason for their decision to dismiss the coxswain.

Yesterday, Andy Hibbs began the official appeal process against his dismissal.

We as a crew all devastated by the position that we have been put in. Each of us loves lifeboating and the camaraderie that comes with it, but because of this strong bond, and just like when on a shout, you stand behind the man at the wheel.

We therefore feel we are unable to return to our roles at this time without Andy returning to his and we await the result of his appeal, hoping that a sensible outcome will allow both sides to move forward for the good of both the RNLI and St Helier Lifeboat Station and hopefully we can return to the good relationship of old.

For the avoidance of doubt, if Andy was reinstated to his former position while the appeal process is undertaken then we would return to our posts immediately, saving the charity and the Island of Jersey considerable cost.

Equally, if there was an emergency of a serious nature which required the expertise of Andy and his crew, all the Coastguard or RNLI need to do is to call Andy on his mobile and we would all respond immediately.

– St Helier Lifeboat Crew
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Mass resignation of St Helier Lifeboat crew

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