Police appeal for information following north-east defibrillator theft

Thieves have stolen a life-saving machine from the centre of an Aberdeenshire village.

The public access defibrillator (PAD) was taken from its box in Oldmeldrum Market Square between noon on Wednesday and about 2pm on Thursday last week.

It was only put in place in March.

Constable Charley Keith said: “This type of crime can potentially have a massive impact on the community, particularly if someone comes to depend on this piece of life-saving equipment being available.

“This defibrillator is funded through the local community council and has only been in place for a short time.

“There is the slim possibility that someone has removed this equipment for a genuine purpose and if that is the case, the person responsible is encouraged to return it to its rightful place.”

Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.