Life Patrol - On the Banks of the Foyle

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0:00:02 > 0:00:05Foyle Search and Rescue are a group of volunteers in Londonderry

0:00:05 > 0:00:07who are on suicide's front line.

0:00:14 > 0:00:17They patrol the waters and banks of the River Foyle,

0:00:17 > 0:00:20which runs through the city, to stop people jumping.

0:00:22 > 0:00:23Oh, oh, oh, let me go!

0:00:23 > 0:00:26Can't let you go, we can't let you go.

0:00:26 > 0:00:27Oh, oh, oh!

0:00:27 > 0:00:30Trying to save their lives in the water...

0:00:30 > 0:00:32We had a pager call to say there was somebody

0:00:32 > 0:00:33they think in the water here.

0:00:35 > 0:00:38..and searching for the bodies of those they couldn't save.

0:00:38 > 0:00:41I don't think he's ever even kissed a girl or anything,

0:00:41 > 0:00:43you know, and that's so sad.

0:00:43 > 0:00:47We're going to be on their shoulders over their busy Christmas period...

0:00:47 > 0:00:48Happy Christmas.

0:00:48 > 0:00:50Happy Christmas. You're a credit there to the town.

0:00:50 > 0:00:52You're walking angels.

0:00:53 > 0:00:57..as they fight to drive a wedge between life...

0:00:57 > 0:00:58and death.

0:01:06 > 0:01:1293.1 FM and 792 medium wave. BBC Radio Foyle.

0:01:14 > 0:01:16BBC Radio Foyle news at two, this is Brian Kernohan.

0:01:17 > 0:01:20The family of a Derry man missing from his home in the city

0:01:20 > 0:01:23since the weekend have asked anyone with any information

0:01:23 > 0:01:25that might help them find him to come forward.

0:01:25 > 0:01:28Eamonn Moore was last seen in the early hours of Saturday morning

0:01:28 > 0:01:31near where he was living in the Magazine Street area of the city.

0:01:31 > 0:01:33His sister, Mairead Moore, urged him to get in touch.

0:01:33 > 0:01:36Just to say we all really, really love him,

0:01:36 > 0:01:39and we know it's been really hard for us all but...

0:01:39 > 0:01:41'me and my sister are there for him.

0:01:41 > 0:01:43'We know it's been really hard since my mum died,

0:01:43 > 0:01:46'but we're all, we're all there for him.'

0:01:47 > 0:01:51Eamonn left his apartment on Shipley Street in Derry.

0:01:51 > 0:01:54He left in the very early hours of Saturday morning,

0:01:54 > 0:01:56Friday night, Saturday morning.

0:01:56 > 0:02:00He sent a text message to his sister in Australia...

0:02:01 > 0:02:04..and the message was, "Sorry".

0:02:05 > 0:02:09And he sent the same message to my brother,

0:02:09 > 0:02:10who was his best friend.

0:02:12 > 0:02:14Now, when they got the message the next day,

0:02:14 > 0:02:17that started to send alarm bells then through the family.

0:02:19 > 0:02:22So, the police was contacted,

0:02:22 > 0:02:25and the Foyle church was contacted,

0:02:25 > 0:02:27and that's the way it's been ever since.

0:02:33 > 0:02:35Well, we search every day.

0:02:36 > 0:02:39Liam's over on the other side, and friends and his brothers

0:02:39 > 0:02:42and sisters, and all our aunts and uncles.

0:02:42 > 0:02:44Everybody has their own wee kind of patch,

0:02:44 > 0:02:47their own wee kind of area that'll be looked after.

0:02:47 > 0:02:48And when we first were here,

0:02:48 > 0:02:49we were all kind of based here

0:02:49 > 0:02:51and I was convinced he was going to come up here,

0:02:51 > 0:02:54because this is where they think his entry point was.

0:02:54 > 0:02:56I soon realised that's not the case.

0:02:56 > 0:02:59We kind of have to just to go looking for him, you know.

0:03:00 > 0:03:02It's vitally important that we get him in home now

0:03:02 > 0:03:07and get a bit of closure, especially for his two sisters.

0:03:07 > 0:03:10He was very close to his sisters and his grandma and his uncle Neil,

0:03:10 > 0:03:11and, uh...

0:03:26 > 0:03:29Derry, in common with the rest of Northern Ireland,

0:03:29 > 0:03:33has a suicide problem, in particular amongst young men.

0:03:34 > 0:03:37We have seen a dramatic increase in suicide,

0:03:37 > 0:03:41and the last official figures that we've seen for 2010

0:03:41 > 0:03:43were showing that there were 313 people

0:03:43 > 0:03:45died by suicide in Northern Ireland.

0:03:45 > 0:03:49Our statistics show that there are more people dying by suicide

0:03:49 > 0:03:52than there are people dying on the roads.

0:03:52 > 0:03:55That leaves Northern Ireland with the highest suicide rate

0:03:55 > 0:03:58per thousand-head of population in the UK.

0:03:59 > 0:04:02Our river within this city, the Foyle,

0:04:02 > 0:04:05unfortunately has become a focus for people

0:04:05 > 0:04:07seeing it as a method for taking their lives.

0:04:10 > 0:04:13The River Foyle, which runs through the centre of Derry,

0:04:13 > 0:04:16has always been at the heart of the city.

0:04:16 > 0:04:19It is both beautiful and deceptively dangerous.

0:04:26 > 0:04:29The water is totally underestimated in and around the city.

0:04:29 > 0:04:31I think it's purely because it runs through the city

0:04:31 > 0:04:34and it doesn't look as bad.

0:04:34 > 0:04:37It's not... At places it's not the widest.

0:04:37 > 0:04:38You'd think you could nearly swim it.

0:04:38 > 0:04:42I think maybe there's only one or two people that has succeeded.

0:04:42 > 0:04:4499% of the time the river won.

0:04:49 > 0:04:54Foyle Search and Rescue is a charity formed 19 years ago

0:04:54 > 0:04:57as a community reaction to an 18 month period

0:04:57 > 0:05:01where 36 lives were lost in the river, many through suicide.

0:05:03 > 0:05:06It's aim is to save life in and around the Foyle.

0:05:11 > 0:05:15As well as patrolling the waters and banks of the river,

0:05:15 > 0:05:18it's now deeply embedded into the local community,

0:05:18 > 0:05:22working closely with the Western Health and Social Services Trust,

0:05:22 > 0:05:24the police, and in schools

0:05:24 > 0:05:27in water safety awareness and suicide prevention.

0:05:27 > 0:05:28'They're viewed as'

0:05:28 > 0:05:32the fourth emergency organisation here in the city.

0:05:32 > 0:05:36And they're a very unique organisation, because they don't

0:05:36 > 0:05:39actually exist in a lot of other places throughout the world.

0:05:39 > 0:05:43So, it's been community-driven, it's been driven by families.

0:05:46 > 0:05:49As leading volunteer Sean Edwards knows,

0:05:49 > 0:05:51they have their work cut out.

0:05:51 > 0:05:53Different hazards for different areas, you know,

0:05:53 > 0:05:56and you can never underestimate the danger of the river here

0:05:56 > 0:05:59because of its coldness and it's fast flowing.

0:05:59 > 0:06:00Whenever the tide's pelting out here

0:06:00 > 0:06:03it's one of the fastest flowing rivers in Europe.

0:06:04 > 0:06:07What makes their job tougher

0:06:07 > 0:06:09is that the river is spanned by three bridges.

0:06:09 > 0:06:11Well, this is Craigavon Bridge.

0:06:11 > 0:06:14This is the oldest bridge in the city,

0:06:14 > 0:06:17unique in that it has two decks on it, upper and lower deck.

0:06:18 > 0:06:21The newest addition to Derry's waterfront is the Peace Bridge.

0:06:22 > 0:06:25There is life rings placed right the way along here,

0:06:25 > 0:06:27so, if someone goes in in the middle here,

0:06:27 > 0:06:30if someone was here quickly enough and threw them a ring,

0:06:30 > 0:06:33there's a possibility that will help to keep them above until the boat arrives.

0:06:33 > 0:06:37And, as with any tall structure, the Foyle Bridge,

0:06:37 > 0:06:39known locally as the New Bridge,

0:06:39 > 0:06:43brings an added dimension to helping keep the public safe.

0:06:43 > 0:06:45When you look up there...

0:06:45 > 0:06:49it's scary stuff. Scary stuff when you're dealing with it, too.

0:06:59 > 0:07:02It's quarter to nine now and we're just opening up,

0:07:02 > 0:07:05getting ready for another night, normal Thursday night duty.

0:07:05 > 0:07:07Foyle Search and Rescue mount regular evening patrols

0:07:07 > 0:07:09on the banks and waters of the river,

0:07:09 > 0:07:13and have a rescue boat on 24 hour standby.

0:07:13 > 0:07:18They rely entirely on volunteers giving up their time for no pay.

0:07:18 > 0:07:20We can't completely know until the night

0:07:20 > 0:07:24how many people's going to come out and what they'll be doing,

0:07:24 > 0:07:26so it's more or less we have to wait

0:07:26 > 0:07:28just up until before we go out just to see who turns up,

0:07:28 > 0:07:31then at the very last minute we have to split the teams up

0:07:31 > 0:07:33into their duties, you know.

0:07:33 > 0:07:35Says he's getting a pay rise of 0%.

0:07:35 > 0:07:37- A pay rise?- Aye.

0:07:37 > 0:07:39- Well, what about... - I want it back-dated, six years!

0:07:39 > 0:07:41What about getting paid overtime?

0:07:41 > 0:07:43You're here for the charity.

0:07:43 > 0:07:46Our man there likes to live the good life.

0:07:46 > 0:07:49Terry's the person that eats everything in the whole place.

0:07:49 > 0:07:52He's like a bean pole and he could eat for a family of five.

0:07:52 > 0:07:56Eating as much as I do, I should look like him.

0:07:56 > 0:07:58See, that's low now. That's low.

0:07:58 > 0:08:00You need to be thick-skinned in here.

0:08:00 > 0:08:03That's one thing, you need to have a sense of humour,

0:08:03 > 0:08:04thick skin and plenty of time.

0:08:04 > 0:08:06That's three things.

0:08:07 > 0:08:10Craig has been with the charity half his life.

0:08:10 > 0:08:12When I was 16 and came into the charity

0:08:12 > 0:08:13for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards,

0:08:13 > 0:08:16I didn't expect that, 16 years down the line,

0:08:16 > 0:08:18I'd be here as a Chairperson.

0:08:18 > 0:08:21Work - that is second best, like.

0:08:21 > 0:08:25This is what I love doing, this is, you know, who I am.

0:08:25 > 0:08:27Hello, Dave. All right?

0:08:28 > 0:08:30It's 9pm.

0:08:30 > 0:08:32On duty tonight is a team christened after

0:08:32 > 0:08:35a certain German confectionary product.

0:08:35 > 0:08:38- The Haribo team.- Yes, lads!

0:08:38 > 0:08:40There we go. That's your food for the night, boys.

0:08:40 > 0:08:42Right, there you go. OK.

0:08:42 > 0:08:45Team leader tonight is Terry Carr.

0:08:45 > 0:08:47There's a lot of people out partying today.

0:08:47 > 0:08:49So, that should spill over into the night,

0:08:49 > 0:08:52so just keep an eye out, the usual thing, you know.

0:08:52 > 0:08:54Especially down round zone five later on.

0:08:57 > 0:09:00On duty nights, the team drive a loop

0:09:00 > 0:09:02around the bridges of the River Foyle,

0:09:02 > 0:09:06looking for people who may be in a vulnerable state of mind.

0:09:06 > 0:09:09Basically, we start from one end,

0:09:09 > 0:09:11which is zone one, that's Craigavon Bridge,

0:09:11 > 0:09:13and then we go right the whole way down the river bank

0:09:13 > 0:09:16and over the Foyle Bridge and back round again,

0:09:16 > 0:09:19and just do a full circle, basically, of all zones.

0:09:21 > 0:09:24All volunteers are trained in suicide intervention

0:09:24 > 0:09:27to exactly the same level that is mandatory

0:09:27 > 0:09:30for mental health workers in the health service.

0:09:31 > 0:09:33'The signs we look for, if someone's stationary,'

0:09:33 > 0:09:36like standing looking over at the water,

0:09:36 > 0:09:39that's normally a tell-tale sign that we look for,

0:09:39 > 0:09:42and if they are stationary we would wait for a while

0:09:42 > 0:09:44and see if they move on.

0:09:44 > 0:09:46If they're on the phone, as well,

0:09:46 > 0:09:49that could be them on the phone having an argument.

0:09:50 > 0:09:52As well as a shore presence,

0:09:52 > 0:09:56on duty nights Foyle Search and Rescue have a boat on the water

0:09:56 > 0:10:00patrolling the full length of the city waterfront.

0:10:01 > 0:10:04When not driving, the jeep team park up at the Craigavon Bridge.

0:10:06 > 0:10:07This is sweetie time.

0:10:08 > 0:10:10This is our supper.

0:10:11 > 0:10:13It's five to eleven, this is our supper.

0:10:13 > 0:10:15Fried or poached?

0:10:15 > 0:10:16I'll take a fried egg.

0:10:18 > 0:10:19Take two fried eggs.

0:10:28 > 0:10:30It can be very frustrating sitting here,

0:10:30 > 0:10:32just waiting for something to happen.

0:10:32 > 0:10:34We're not really willing for things to happen, but...

0:10:34 > 0:10:37Things just do have a habit of coming out of the blue, you know.

0:10:37 > 0:10:40You could be sitting here for hours. Well, actually you could be

0:10:40 > 0:10:44sitting here for a couple of days, actually, before anything happens.

0:10:44 > 0:10:46The way it works is you can get one incident a night,

0:10:46 > 0:10:48or you can get five incidents a night.

0:10:48 > 0:10:51You don't know when you're coming on duty until the night's over.

0:10:51 > 0:10:56Dave spots an unsettling clue that tonight might be a busy night.

0:10:57 > 0:10:59People seeking to take their own lives

0:10:59 > 0:11:03sometimes leave belongings on the side of the river before jumping.

0:11:04 > 0:11:09The woman who has put the suitcases there makes a dash for the railings.

0:11:09 > 0:11:11Woah, you're all right you're all right...

0:11:11 > 0:11:13WOMAN SCREAMING

0:11:13 > 0:11:14Don't worry.

0:11:14 > 0:11:16WOMAN SOBBING

0:11:16 > 0:11:18Calm down, you're all right, don't worry.

0:11:18 > 0:11:19Don't worry, you're fine.

0:11:19 > 0:11:21WOMAN CRYING

0:11:21 > 0:11:24Calm down, you're all right. You're all right.

0:11:24 > 0:11:25You OK?

0:11:27 > 0:11:30Come on, have a wee seat there first.

0:11:30 > 0:11:32The boat is nearly half a mile away.

0:11:32 > 0:11:34They race to the scene.

0:11:38 > 0:11:40- WOMAN:- Let me go. - We can't let you go.

0:11:40 > 0:11:42We're not going to let you go in there.

0:11:42 > 0:11:44Come on, just talk to us.

0:11:44 > 0:11:46I'm getting soaked here!

0:11:46 > 0:11:49So are we, so it's all right, you'll be worse in there, like.

0:11:49 > 0:11:52It'll only take me two seconds to get over there.

0:11:52 > 0:11:53Won't you let me go?

0:11:53 > 0:11:55Well, we're not going to let you go, that's the point.

0:11:58 > 0:11:59Lisa, police.

0:12:02 > 0:12:03Let me go.

0:12:03 > 0:12:05We can't let you go.

0:12:06 > 0:12:07Let me go!

0:12:07 > 0:12:09Can't let you go. We can't let you go.

0:12:09 > 0:12:13- CRYING:- Let me go!

0:12:13 > 0:12:14I want to go!

0:12:15 > 0:12:18Aye, Lisa's going to phone them now.

0:12:18 > 0:12:20No one's going to stop me.

0:12:20 > 0:12:21Just let me walk away.

0:12:21 > 0:12:23We can't let you walk away.

0:12:23 > 0:12:25It's going to be worse in there.

0:12:25 > 0:12:27I don't care what it's like in there.

0:12:27 > 0:12:29I've been through worse.

0:12:31 > 0:12:33You all right?

0:12:33 > 0:12:34I guess so.

0:12:34 > 0:12:37I'll have to be cos these guys won't leave me alone.

0:12:37 > 0:12:39- You're right, we're not... - I'm stuck to them now.

0:12:39 > 0:12:41Your scarf's stuck to us.

0:12:41 > 0:12:43You're stuck with us now, all right.

0:12:45 > 0:12:46I'll still try.

0:12:47 > 0:12:48You cold?

0:12:48 > 0:12:50No, I'm not cold.

0:12:50 > 0:12:53I'd be even colder if I go in there.

0:12:53 > 0:12:55Exactly. You don't want to be in there.

0:12:55 > 0:12:59- Don't be talking like that now. - Just call my kids, OK?

0:12:59 > 0:13:01I'm not calling no-one for you, I can't do that.

0:13:01 > 0:13:04If you're saying you're going to jump in there,

0:13:04 > 0:13:07- I'm not going to call them for you. - Right, let me go then.- We can't.

0:13:07 > 0:13:09CRYING

0:13:09 > 0:13:11All right. You're all right.

0:13:13 > 0:13:17- Come on, come over and sit on the wall and you can talk to us.- OK.

0:13:17 > 0:13:18Come and sit on the wall.

0:13:20 > 0:13:22It's standard practice,

0:13:22 > 0:13:25if someone has made an attempt to get over the railings,

0:13:25 > 0:13:27to call the police and ambulance services.

0:13:27 > 0:13:31Clients - as Foyle Search and Rescue call the people they help -

0:13:31 > 0:13:34are taken straight to hospital to get the support they need.

0:13:34 > 0:13:36The lady there, she set her bags down,

0:13:36 > 0:13:39and just took a wee walk over beside the railings.

0:13:39 > 0:13:41As soon as she went for the railings that was us out of the Jeep.

0:13:41 > 0:13:45As we approached her, she tried to climb the railings and go over,

0:13:45 > 0:13:47So that's us brought her back,

0:13:47 > 0:13:50and then when we have brought her back to try and talk to her,

0:13:50 > 0:13:52she's got very agitated and worked up.

0:13:52 > 0:13:55We were standing there for around five minutes just with our arms

0:13:55 > 0:13:59kind of out like this here, to try and stop her from going in.

0:13:59 > 0:14:02Certainly, if we weren't here, that woman could have been in the water

0:14:02 > 0:14:05and we could be looking for a body tomorrow.

0:14:05 > 0:14:08- Go on ahead. - All right, see you later.

0:14:08 > 0:14:11'There's no doubt that ten seconds, if we had waited,

0:14:11 > 0:14:13'she'd have been in the river.'

0:14:13 > 0:14:15We have saved a life tonight, there's no question about that.

0:14:18 > 0:14:20It's not that people want to die,

0:14:20 > 0:14:22it's that they want to end their pain.

0:14:22 > 0:14:24The problem is, they can't see any other way

0:14:24 > 0:14:27of how to end their pain other than through suicide.

0:14:27 > 0:14:31Barry McGale is the Suicide Liaison Officer

0:14:31 > 0:14:33for the local health authority,

0:14:33 > 0:14:35and he works closely with Foyle Search and Rescue

0:14:35 > 0:14:40in both suicide prevention and dealing with its aftermath.

0:14:40 > 0:14:43If we can get in early enough and provide support for them,

0:14:43 > 0:14:46we can help them see other solutions to their problem.

0:14:48 > 0:14:52It is important that we create awareness around suicide,

0:14:52 > 0:14:55particularly, you know, where people are concerned

0:14:55 > 0:14:58about other ones who may be at risk of suicide.

0:14:58 > 0:15:01So, I think it's very much about empowering people.

0:15:05 > 0:15:08When he isn't out on the banks of the Foyle,

0:15:08 > 0:15:11Dave Smith holds down a full time job as a youth worker.

0:15:11 > 0:15:13Make sure I get that back.

0:15:13 > 0:15:14'It's a cross-community group.'

0:15:14 > 0:15:17This is the older group that we have tonight,

0:15:17 > 0:15:19and what they're doing is setting up a youth forum for themselves.

0:15:19 > 0:15:22- What are you wearing that stupid hat for?- It's not a hat!

0:15:22 > 0:15:25Youth work's one of the things that I like doing

0:15:25 > 0:15:28cos I got a lot of help whenever I was growing up.

0:15:30 > 0:15:33How do we spell forum? F-O-R-M or F-O-U...no...

0:15:33 > 0:15:34For-um.

0:15:34 > 0:15:36F...?

0:15:36 > 0:15:39..O-R-U-M.

0:15:39 > 0:15:42We spelled it wrong, anyway.

0:15:42 > 0:15:43I think that's how you spell it.

0:15:43 > 0:15:45I wonder why you picked Frankie...

0:15:45 > 0:15:47No! Don't put that there!

0:15:47 > 0:15:49LAUGHTER

0:15:49 > 0:15:51'Some of the people that I've worked with'

0:15:51 > 0:15:55have never met someone of the other religion ever before,

0:15:55 > 0:15:56which is strange to think.

0:15:56 > 0:15:58Right, see you later.

0:15:59 > 0:16:02Dave sees his youth work and his volunteering

0:16:02 > 0:16:05for Foyle Search and Rescue as being linked.

0:16:05 > 0:16:08'I would not want to see one of the kids that I work with'

0:16:08 > 0:16:10end up anywhere near the Foyle in a situation

0:16:10 > 0:16:13'where I will find them on a Thursday night

0:16:13 > 0:16:15'or a Friday night or a Saturday night.'

0:16:15 > 0:16:19That's one of the reasons I do the youth work, to make a difference in their lives.

0:16:20 > 0:16:22It's on the run up to Christmas.

0:16:25 > 0:16:30# Sleigh bells ring Are you listening?

0:16:30 > 0:16:34# In the lane snow is glistening

0:16:34 > 0:16:36# A beautiful sight

0:16:36 > 0:16:38# We're happy tonight

0:16:38 > 0:16:40# Walking in a winter wonderland... #

0:16:40 > 0:16:42Happy Christmas, you're a credit there to the town.

0:16:42 > 0:16:44You're walking angels, you're walking angels.

0:16:44 > 0:16:46Fair play to you. Love these people.

0:16:50 > 0:16:53While the people of Derry are gearing up for the holiday,

0:16:53 > 0:16:56Craig and Terry are up early to look for the body

0:16:56 > 0:16:58of the missing young person, Eamonn Moore.

0:16:58 > 0:17:01A Saturday morning, where normal people off work for the weekend,

0:17:01 > 0:17:03will be in their bed still.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06Wee cafe here, McGinleys, down on Buncrana Road,

0:17:06 > 0:17:09it's where we'd usually go to eat in the mornings.

0:17:09 > 0:17:12If we don't get a bacon bap we go back to the base,

0:17:12 > 0:17:15if we have enough time, to go get something to eat, a wee fry.

0:17:17 > 0:17:18Thank you very much.

0:17:18 > 0:17:20Aye.

0:17:20 > 0:17:21Thanking you very much.

0:17:21 > 0:17:24A major part of the charity's role in the city

0:17:24 > 0:17:27is supporting the work of the coastguards and police

0:17:27 > 0:17:30in recovering the bodies of those lost to the river.

0:17:30 > 0:17:32They've never failed to find one yet.

0:17:32 > 0:17:35Just hoping we get him, like, you know.

0:17:35 > 0:17:38When we start we have to finish, and we have to keep going

0:17:38 > 0:17:41until there's a result of one kind or another, you know.

0:17:41 > 0:17:46At the riverside base, Paddy Wilson, one of the founder members,

0:17:46 > 0:17:48briefs the team.

0:17:49 > 0:17:51We're going out to do a search today, boys.

0:17:51 > 0:17:53What we're looking for is items of clothing,

0:17:53 > 0:17:56which will be a black coat with red stripes on it,

0:17:56 > 0:17:58black boots, a pair of jeans.

0:18:05 > 0:18:11Just checking the body bag here to make sure that the zip's intact...

0:18:14 > 0:18:18..no holes, so that if we do have to use it it can be used cleanly, you know?

0:18:22 > 0:18:24There will be some members of the family out as well,

0:18:24 > 0:18:26so you need keep an eye out for them.

0:18:26 > 0:18:32I'll be taking on two sides of the bank, down as far as Lisahally, right up as far as St Johnston,

0:18:32 > 0:18:35taking either side and then down the middle.

0:18:35 > 0:18:37And then we'll review it after that.

0:18:40 > 0:18:44The river is really nice on a day like today, but you don't get to enjoy it.

0:18:44 > 0:18:49Whenever you're doing a search, it totally detracts from the beauty that we have off the river.

0:18:51 > 0:18:53Everything points to Eamonn being in the river -

0:18:53 > 0:19:00phone and CCTV evidence pinpoints him being on the river bank before he sent the texts

0:19:00 > 0:19:04that are giving his family and the police grave concern for his wellbeing.

0:19:08 > 0:19:12If somebody enters the water, their body will sink to the bottom

0:19:12 > 0:19:16and it will stay at the bottom until it starts to gas up.

0:19:16 > 0:19:21It can take any number of days or weeks before the body gases up,

0:19:21 > 0:19:26but when it rises then, sort of halfway from the bottom of the river bed to the surface,

0:19:26 > 0:19:29that's actually what we would call "on the move".

0:19:34 > 0:19:37A body could turn up basically anywhere.

0:19:37 > 0:19:40If it comes up at night, it could go in and onto the shore,

0:19:40 > 0:19:43and not move until the tide comes in and picks it up again.

0:19:46 > 0:19:50This year alone we've saved 19 people's lives who actually went into the river.

0:19:50 > 0:19:54And you know, this will be the fourth body we've recovered.

0:19:58 > 0:20:03Eamonn's uncle Liam is also out searching the river banks for his nephew.

0:20:04 > 0:20:07I'll just check up here.

0:20:07 > 0:20:10It takes its toll on you, there's no question about that,

0:20:10 > 0:20:13but this is the most important thing in my life at the minute,

0:20:13 > 0:20:15to try and find my sister's son.

0:20:20 > 0:20:23Well that's new anyway, that basket.

0:20:23 > 0:20:27It's amazing, the rubbish that will float down there, you know?

0:20:28 > 0:20:34Eamonn was very down when his mother died a few years ago, my sister.

0:20:34 > 0:20:38And I think that played a big factor in his life because he was so close to his mother.

0:20:38 > 0:20:42He was the kind of wee boy that would have been on the computer playing games.

0:20:42 > 0:20:44He would be on eBay buying CDs and then passing them on,

0:20:44 > 0:20:47that sort of way where he'd make himself a couple of pound -

0:20:47 > 0:20:51not very much, right enough, but it kept him going, you know?

0:20:51 > 0:20:54And that's what made us think that there was nothing wrong.

0:20:54 > 0:20:59Eamonn's sister Mairead has returned from living in London to support the family during the search.

0:21:01 > 0:21:05He's a very kind boy, very gentle, very quietly spoken.

0:21:05 > 0:21:08He would babysit and do different things for different people.

0:21:08 > 0:21:10he was just a really good, genuine boy.

0:21:10 > 0:21:14He wasn't into partying and doing all that kind of crazy stuff,

0:21:14 > 0:21:17he was just a normal, quiet, down-to-earth boy.

0:21:21 > 0:21:26I don't he's ever even kissed a girl or anything, you know, and that's so sad.

0:21:26 > 0:21:29Makes you feel bad inside, you know, like...

0:21:30 > 0:21:33I think myself, I've had a pretty OK life -

0:21:33 > 0:21:36not the greatest, but not the worst either -

0:21:36 > 0:21:42but I've six children, I have a wife and he'll never have these things,

0:21:42 > 0:21:46and that's the sad thing about it in a way.

0:21:46 > 0:21:49He also had no life yet, 21 years...

0:21:49 > 0:21:52It did come as a real shock, you know, because he was even

0:21:52 > 0:21:56down at my granny's two days before and he was joking with my granny.

0:21:58 > 0:22:02'It was just out of the blue and we're just...

0:22:02 > 0:22:04'we'll always be questioning why.'

0:22:06 > 0:22:10I never seen this coming, I never in my life would have thought he would have done this,

0:22:10 > 0:22:14but still I can't help feeling guilty as well, that I didn't see it.

0:22:20 > 0:22:25The authorities, too, have been leaving no stone unturned in their search for Eamonn.

0:22:25 > 0:22:26The police send in the divers.

0:22:26 > 0:22:32First of all they think it's less than one foot and it's pure black.

0:22:32 > 0:22:36Even with a torch - they call it the night torch - no use at all. It's all touch.

0:22:38 > 0:22:43despite the Irish coastguard sending a helicopter up from Sligo, 70 miles away,

0:22:43 > 0:22:46to help with the search, there is still no sign of Eamonn.

0:22:55 > 0:23:01Foyle Search and Rescue don't just get involved in suicide prevention and body recovery,

0:23:01 > 0:23:05they also offer support to families affected by suicide.

0:23:05 > 0:23:08It's not always talking about the search, you know,

0:23:08 > 0:23:10they just want to come for a chat and a cup of tea.

0:23:10 > 0:23:14And it's a sort of focus point, for the families to come to here.

0:23:14 > 0:23:19The support group meets here on the first and third Monday of every month as well,

0:23:19 > 0:23:22so there's always something going on.

0:23:22 > 0:23:26The charity has been working closely with the Moore family

0:23:26 > 0:23:29from the outset of Eamonn's disappearance.

0:23:29 > 0:23:31Liam drops by to discuss progress.

0:23:31 > 0:23:36The difficult thing for any family is the not knowing.

0:23:36 > 0:23:38You know, it's just in our nature.

0:23:38 > 0:23:42And that's harder for families because taking a disturbed...

0:23:42 > 0:23:46I'm sure you just thought, "We'll get him in a day or two," and the weeks, the days go on, you know?

0:23:46 > 0:23:49And then you even start doubting yourself, "Is he even in there?"

0:23:58 > 0:24:02Eamonn's sister, Mairead, also values the support.

0:24:04 > 0:24:06Paddy, he's been wonderful, keeping us updated constantly.

0:24:06 > 0:24:11He's in daily contact. He's been doing a lot of other stuff, too, not just the searching.

0:24:11 > 0:24:14They've taken me into their care for a couple of hours and given me counselling.

0:24:14 > 0:24:17They've offered me support, to join their support groups.

0:24:17 > 0:24:21They've done other stuff behind the scenes that you don't even see.

0:24:21 > 0:24:24As well as looking from the boats, Foyle Search and Rescue

0:24:24 > 0:24:28have themselves been out searching the riverbanks on foot.

0:24:28 > 0:24:32With Eamonn wearing dark clothing as well, they blend in more.

0:24:32 > 0:24:35That's where you could literally walk past him, you know?

0:24:35 > 0:24:38You can see some of that debris and stuff that's lying there.

0:24:38 > 0:24:42That's why every so often we'll go out on foot, usually once a week or so.

0:24:42 > 0:24:45We were out there yesterday...

0:24:48 > 0:24:52I'm going to take a wee scoot down here. Sure, give me a wee ring.

0:24:52 > 0:24:54I'll take a look here now, I'll head on in and...

0:24:54 > 0:24:57- I'll go further down, then. - I'll talk to you later on.

0:24:57 > 0:25:01All right, Liam. See you now, bye.

0:25:01 > 0:25:03Paddy goes out for a further search of his own.

0:25:03 > 0:25:07We don't want a loved one of anybody's lying on the riverbank,

0:25:07 > 0:25:10we want to get it as soon as we possibly can for the family.

0:25:10 > 0:25:13It makes it more poignant this time of year because

0:25:13 > 0:25:16we're coming up to Christmas, we're a couple of days to Christmas.

0:25:22 > 0:25:26Paddy was with Foyle Search and Rescue right from the start.

0:25:26 > 0:25:29We absolutely started with nothing.

0:25:29 > 0:25:33We had a public meeting where we asked people if they wanted to be involved

0:25:33 > 0:25:37and that's basically it started off, with about 11 or 12.

0:25:39 > 0:25:43Another of the longest-serving members is Helena.

0:25:43 > 0:25:47She holds down a full time job as a cook, and for 19 years she has

0:25:47 > 0:25:51juggled this job with turning out week after week for the charity.

0:25:51 > 0:25:55I'm definitely not Mother Teresa, anybody that knows me I'm not,

0:25:55 > 0:26:01but it's just the fact if you can do something for somebody and give them a chance, you know.

0:26:01 > 0:26:04I'm hoping it gets me brownie points when I go up above...

0:26:04 > 0:26:07Well, that's where I'm hoping I'm going - up above.

0:26:07 > 0:26:10So there is method in my madness.

0:26:10 > 0:26:12THEY CHAT

0:26:12 > 0:26:17It was started because one of the founder members had lost his brother in the Foyle,

0:26:17 > 0:26:22and rather than sitting at home and just waiting for somebody to bring them home,

0:26:22 > 0:26:25they decided they would go out and look and walk up and down.

0:26:25 > 0:26:26And all they had was 10p.

0:26:26 > 0:26:31They always had 10p, whoever was out there made sure they had 10p to make a phone call.

0:26:31 > 0:26:34The charity has come a long way since its humble beginnings

0:26:34 > 0:26:37and now its work extends far beyond the river.

0:26:37 > 0:26:41They are now part of the fabric of the city,

0:26:41 > 0:26:46working closely with the health authorities and the emergency services.

0:26:46 > 0:26:50But they have to find £90,000 a year, just to keep going.

0:26:50 > 0:26:55They depend largely on the generosity of the people of Derry donating.

0:27:09 > 0:27:11There was £5.71 in that one.

0:27:14 > 0:27:16Sneaky fiver.

0:27:20 > 0:27:23The money works hard.

0:27:23 > 0:27:25As well as the regular patrols,

0:27:25 > 0:27:28a highly trained core of Foyle Search and Rescue volunteers

0:27:28 > 0:27:33are on 24-hour standby to launch one of its four lifeboats.

0:27:33 > 0:27:36Each one of them is issued with a pager

0:27:36 > 0:27:39and when a call-out, or shout, comes via the police,

0:27:39 > 0:27:43they have to drop everything to get the lifeboat in the water.

0:27:51 > 0:27:53Call-outs happen all the time.

0:27:53 > 0:27:56Last year the boat was launched on average once every three days,

0:27:56 > 0:27:59and the Christmas period is shaping up to be a busy one.

0:28:02 > 0:28:05Someone has been spotted over the railings of the new bridge,

0:28:05 > 0:28:09and then has disappeared. The police think they've jumped.

0:28:18 > 0:28:21We had a pager call to say there was a 01 off the new bridge,

0:28:21 > 0:28:25which means there's somebody, they think, in the water here.

0:28:27 > 0:28:31Passerby seen him one minute and then when he looked back he was gone completely.

0:28:31 > 0:28:34We have to assume at the moment that he's in the water here somewhere.

0:28:40 > 0:28:42It's not been confirmed, we're not sure,

0:28:42 > 0:28:45it's quite vague at the minute, but obviously, you know,

0:28:45 > 0:28:49time is of the essence to try and find, if we can, anybody.

0:28:49 > 0:28:53The man's family arrive to confirm to the police that he is missing.

0:28:53 > 0:28:55Things are looking serious.

0:29:02 > 0:29:05Occasionally when we've been called here in the dark,

0:29:05 > 0:29:08we have actually got people in the water when it was dark.

0:29:08 > 0:29:12But it's very much pot luck with it. It's not an exact science.

0:29:12 > 0:29:16The new bridge, with its approaches, is over half a mile long

0:29:16 > 0:29:19and runs over both land and river.

0:29:19 > 0:29:24While the police try to fix a location on where they think the man jumped from the top of the bridge,

0:29:24 > 0:29:26the lads keep scouring the water below.

0:29:26 > 0:29:29Stephen, do we not think he hit the water?

0:29:29 > 0:29:31Do we not think he's in the water, Stephen?

0:29:31 > 0:29:33- They don't think he's hit water. - They don't?

0:29:33 > 0:29:36No. They think he might be on land, so we have to get out and look.

0:29:40 > 0:29:45They may have got this guy on land over here now, it's not confirmed at the minute,

0:29:45 > 0:29:48so we're standing by to get some further information here.

0:29:48 > 0:29:53It seems if he has jumped, he may have missed the water and landed on the ground, unfortunately.

0:29:56 > 0:29:59'Stand down now, over.'

0:30:00 > 0:30:02Roger that.

0:30:02 > 0:30:03We've been stood down here now.

0:30:03 > 0:30:06Now the shout is over, the lads can reflect on how

0:30:06 > 0:30:08they should be spending their Friday night.

0:30:08 > 0:30:11I was actually just starting to cook tea for the family.

0:30:11 > 0:30:14Just dropped everything, just turned the cooker off, just run.

0:30:14 > 0:30:19Sean is missing out on a family occasion which can't be repeated.

0:30:19 > 0:30:21Getting ready to go to a Christening,

0:30:21 > 0:30:23supposed to be meeting at seven, but that's gone now.

0:30:25 > 0:30:27A police car was going over the bridge and seen a fella

0:30:27 > 0:30:31along the railings. By the time they came back round he was gone.

0:30:32 > 0:30:37And then two family members then showed up to say that

0:30:37 > 0:30:42a person was missing. It's a person we actually dealt with before.

0:30:42 > 0:30:46'Aye, roger, stand down now, that's been confirmed that the jumper...'

0:30:46 > 0:30:48We've been updated from the police that the guy was

0:30:48 > 0:30:51over the railings, and had made his way back onto the right side

0:30:51 > 0:30:54of the railings again, and ran off the end of the bridge.

0:30:54 > 0:30:57And he's since been located at his home, but at the time you have to

0:30:57 > 0:31:00take it at its worst case scenario, that there could be someone

0:31:00 > 0:31:03in the water, which is why we got on the water as quickly as we did there.

0:31:03 > 0:31:07But, fortunately, it's a good result for us, because the guy is alive and well and at home.

0:31:12 > 0:31:14Not all call outs are false alarms.

0:31:14 > 0:31:18And the team's lightning reactions can make the difference between life and death.

0:31:21 > 0:31:25A woman in her 20s has jumped from the Craigavon Bridge.

0:31:25 > 0:31:28Responded to the pager sent tonight, we got word that there was

0:31:28 > 0:31:31a person in the water at the Craigavon Bridge,

0:31:31 > 0:31:34that the person was actually just on the steel work, just on the bridge

0:31:34 > 0:31:38and some guy who had been walking across the bridge at the time she jumped

0:31:38 > 0:31:40had gone down and got hold of her and was holding onto her.

0:32:00 > 0:32:03We believe that she had actually jumped from the steps,

0:32:03 > 0:32:05so quite a fall.

0:32:08 > 0:32:12It's quite cold, so she's fortunate that somebody did see her

0:32:12 > 0:32:14going in because, you know, if the guy hadn't seen her going in,

0:32:14 > 0:32:17God knows what the outcome would have been.

0:32:17 > 0:32:20He was very courageous in what he did, like he held her there until we got there.

0:32:22 > 0:32:26I was walking under the bridge and I seen a girl just throw herself

0:32:26 > 0:32:29off the steps into the water.

0:32:29 > 0:32:31I just remember the splash.

0:32:31 > 0:32:33And her going down under the water.

0:32:33 > 0:32:36I left my guitar and went down underneath the bridge.

0:32:36 > 0:32:41And she clung on to the steel thing and I went down and grabbed her

0:32:41 > 0:32:44and got her up onto the steel that's underneath there.

0:33:03 > 0:33:06You know, from when we got the pager call through to actually

0:33:06 > 0:33:09coming here and got her back to the ambulance, we were talking 10-15 minutes,

0:33:09 > 0:33:13which is, you know, ideal, that's the way we like it.

0:33:13 > 0:33:16Thank God, you know, that's another life saved

0:33:16 > 0:33:19and I'm just glad that, you know, she can get the help now that she needs.

0:33:19 > 0:33:22I wouldn't call myself a hero, no.

0:33:22 > 0:33:26It was just spur of the moment thing, just one of them things.

0:33:35 > 0:33:39Christmas celebrations are in full swing on the streets

0:33:39 > 0:33:41and in the bars of Derry.

0:33:41 > 0:33:43# Rocking around the Christmas tree

0:33:43 > 0:33:45# At the Christmas party hop

0:33:47 > 0:33:49# Mistletoe hung where you can see

0:33:49 > 0:33:53# Every couple tries to stop... #

0:33:55 > 0:33:59But for some, it's a period of uncertainty and stress.

0:33:59 > 0:34:03There's something that really hits me is how we all go around telling people

0:34:03 > 0:34:07Happy Christmas. It's something I don't say, I've stopped saying it a long, long time ago,

0:34:07 > 0:34:10because we don't know what's going on in someone's life.

0:34:10 > 0:34:13And happiness could be the least that they're experiencing

0:34:13 > 0:34:17at that particular time. Of all the significant dates that go on for families,

0:34:17 > 0:34:21the Christmas one is the one that every family who has lost someone

0:34:21 > 0:34:25to suicide is experiencing intense pain at that particular time.

0:34:26 > 0:34:28You all right, how's it going?

0:34:28 > 0:34:33The Haribo crew are back on for one of the last shifts before Christmas.

0:34:33 > 0:34:34How's it going? All right?

0:34:34 > 0:34:38Oh. What happened to Haribo?

0:34:38 > 0:34:41There was a deal on in Tesco's, I'm afraid, so the wife got me them.

0:34:41 > 0:34:44All right, so Thursday night duty has come down to price now, has it?

0:34:44 > 0:34:48They've had enough volunteers turn up to put out a foot patrol as well.

0:34:48 > 0:34:51Helena is putting in a shift.

0:34:51 > 0:34:52- Hi.- You good?

0:34:52 > 0:34:53Grand.

0:34:53 > 0:34:56Suicide doesn't discriminate.

0:34:56 > 0:35:00It doesn't discriminate between age, creed, religion.

0:35:00 > 0:35:04It doesn't discriminate. It affects everybody and I would say there's

0:35:04 > 0:35:07a lot of families in the town has been affected by it.

0:35:07 > 0:35:12And it can happen to anyone, that's the scary thing.

0:35:12 > 0:35:16Further up the river, the jeep team are parked by the Craigavon Bridge.

0:35:16 > 0:35:20So tonight has been relatively quiet, to be honest.

0:35:20 > 0:35:24It's been fine, there hasn't been any major incidents.

0:35:25 > 0:35:27You used the "quiet" word.

0:35:27 > 0:35:30- I was looking for you to say that. - Not allowed to use the "quiet" word.

0:35:30 > 0:35:32There's no other substitute!

0:35:33 > 0:35:35The quiet word's a jinx.

0:35:35 > 0:35:36It's a jinx.

0:35:37 > 0:35:41Perhaps Garvin shouldn't have used the quiet word.

0:35:41 > 0:35:42There is something unsettling

0:35:42 > 0:35:44about the behaviour of a man on the bridge.

0:35:44 > 0:35:47We're going to watch this man, he's stopped there for a period of time.

0:35:47 > 0:35:49Now he's leaning there. He could be drunk.

0:35:49 > 0:35:51He seems to be having a smoke.

0:35:51 > 0:35:56He does seem to be having a smoke. There is possible smoke, so he could just be honestly having a smoke,

0:35:56 > 0:35:58but it's the fact that he's stationary that concerned us.

0:35:58 > 0:36:02The jeep team decide to leave nothing to chance.

0:36:02 > 0:36:04That potential client is around 80 yards from Whisky Bravo

0:36:04 > 0:36:06and he's on Tango Delta, over.

0:36:08 > 0:36:10'OK, go on the site.'

0:36:13 > 0:36:16Yes, we're on Tango Delta here, he seems to be moving rather slowly.

0:36:16 > 0:36:18We'll keep away, over.

0:36:18 > 0:36:22As a precaution, they call in the boat team to patrol

0:36:22 > 0:36:24the waters below.

0:36:28 > 0:36:30'Approaching the left, over.'

0:36:30 > 0:36:32Message received, over.

0:36:37 > 0:36:40We obviously don't want to aggravate him in any way because he is

0:36:40 > 0:36:43intoxicated, but we won't approach unless we feel that we have to.

0:36:43 > 0:36:46Suddenly the man makes a move for the railings.

0:36:56 > 0:36:57'Go ahead.'

0:37:01 > 0:37:04- How's it going, you all right there? - Aye, I'm grand, aye.

0:37:04 > 0:37:06Do you want to take a wee step away from the railings there?

0:37:06 > 0:37:09- Why don't you take a wee step away from the railings?- Why?

0:37:09 > 0:37:11Because we've just seen you trying to get up there.

0:37:11 > 0:37:13- No.- Aye, you were putting your foot up there.

0:37:13 > 0:37:16Let's see you take a wee step over here for us.

0:37:16 > 0:37:20The team's first priority is to get him off the bridge voluntarily,

0:37:20 > 0:37:21to put him out of harm's way.

0:37:21 > 0:37:24And then to offer a listening ear.

0:37:24 > 0:37:26He actually climbed up on the railings and that's

0:37:26 > 0:37:27when we intervened.

0:37:29 > 0:37:34He has a family relative that has went in before around

0:37:34 > 0:37:37this time of year, so we would get a few people like that there, who've

0:37:37 > 0:37:41obviously had a bereavement in the family, through suicide

0:37:41 > 0:37:45and at this time of year, it's not easy for them.

0:37:45 > 0:37:48And he was intending to go in tonight,

0:37:48 > 0:37:50so it's a happy outcome for us.

0:37:50 > 0:37:52The police drive the man to hospital.

0:37:53 > 0:37:58Two big driving factors that can go along with the emotions that

0:37:58 > 0:38:01are associated around a bereavement by suicide are shame and guilt.

0:38:01 > 0:38:05We do know that people who have lost someone to suicide,

0:38:05 > 0:38:07the pain can be so intense for them that they think,

0:38:07 > 0:38:11"I can't cope with this any longer, I'd be better off dead."

0:38:12 > 0:38:17Any one of us at any time can have suicidal thoughts,

0:38:17 > 0:38:20and I remember being asked one time by a journalist who asked,

0:38:20 > 0:38:22"What does someone look like who takes their life?"

0:38:22 > 0:38:24And I said, "Take a look in the mirror,

0:38:24 > 0:38:26"that's who takes their life, it's you or I."

0:38:28 > 0:38:31The jeep team might have succeeded in preventing one person

0:38:31 > 0:38:33going in the river, but the foot patrol has found

0:38:33 > 0:38:37a troubling clue that they might be too late for someone else.

0:38:37 > 0:38:41Danny's eagle eyes there actually spotted a pair of plimsolls,

0:38:41 > 0:38:43just randomly sitting on the wall,

0:38:43 > 0:38:46just nice and neat beside each other.

0:38:46 > 0:38:48In their experience,

0:38:48 > 0:38:52people taking their own lives often take their shoes off before jumping.

0:38:54 > 0:38:57It's serious enough to get Craig from home.

0:38:57 > 0:39:00Just sitting beside each other over on that wall just there.

0:39:00 > 0:39:04If anybody comes up missing now to the police in the next 24 hours,

0:39:04 > 0:39:07there's a good chance that they could have been somebody who's

0:39:07 > 0:39:08went in off here.

0:39:08 > 0:39:10Earlier on in the year,

0:39:10 > 0:39:13the same thing happened just on down the quay.

0:39:13 > 0:39:16There was a baseball hat and a pair of trainers left,

0:39:16 > 0:39:19and then it turned out that there was a man that entered

0:39:19 > 0:39:21the river in the middle of the night.

0:39:21 > 0:39:24Seven years ago, Phonsie McDermott's son, Adrian,

0:39:24 > 0:39:27was lost to the river from the New Bridge.

0:39:27 > 0:39:29Like the current missing lad, Eamonn,

0:39:29 > 0:39:32Adrian was a young man, just 17 years old.

0:39:32 > 0:39:36A nephew of mine had told me that he had found Adrian's slipper over

0:39:36 > 0:39:39the top of the bridge. Adrian text his girlfriend and his best friend

0:39:39 > 0:39:43to say that he had to go, he had to die, and that was it,

0:39:43 > 0:39:48that's all the message ever was, or it was all we had ever knew before it or after it.

0:39:50 > 0:39:52Adrian said he was going out that night for a party,

0:39:52 > 0:39:54that he was going up the town, which he never did,

0:39:54 > 0:39:57he always just went out around his friend's houses.

0:39:57 > 0:39:59He never came back.

0:40:01 > 0:40:05He left as happy as Larry, but we were at a party in Letterkenny and

0:40:05 > 0:40:09I left my phone in the car and Lisa left her phone in the car and when

0:40:09 > 0:40:13we came back out to the car again there was 16 messages on our phone.

0:40:13 > 0:40:16The first thing we knew was Adrian was supposed to have gone to

0:40:16 > 0:40:19the New Bridge, so we drove straight from Letterkenny to

0:40:19 > 0:40:23the New Bridge and we met Foyle Search and Rescue, and the police.

0:40:23 > 0:40:26Every time you look out you see these memories of

0:40:26 > 0:40:28when we were out there searching

0:40:28 > 0:40:33and walking about and searching for phone, searching for wee clues.

0:40:33 > 0:40:37There's never even a time that you drive over the bridge,

0:40:37 > 0:40:39or look into this river, but you'll think on Adrian, like,

0:40:39 > 0:40:43because this river surrounds Derry and you can't get away from it,

0:40:43 > 0:40:45no matter where you go, it surrounds you.

0:40:47 > 0:40:49We searched for 16 days,

0:40:49 > 0:40:52so you're always going to have that memory, you'll never lose that.

0:40:52 > 0:40:55That's one thing you'll never lose, is the memory of the water.

0:40:57 > 0:41:00I haven't slept right for years, so I haven't, since that.

0:41:00 > 0:41:02You lost your whole pattern of life.

0:41:07 > 0:41:09This is the first car that he ever built.

0:41:09 > 0:41:12This is before, when he was at National School, that we

0:41:12 > 0:41:15had a hot rod up to when we first started racing

0:41:15 > 0:41:17and it was number 88.

0:41:17 > 0:41:21It had spoilers on, so he decided he'd make one at school.

0:41:21 > 0:41:24He put an elastic band on from here to here and you birled the wheels

0:41:24 > 0:41:29and you let it down, the car went. So wasn't bad for that age, was it?

0:41:29 > 0:41:32Mad about stock cars and since an early age, like myself,

0:41:32 > 0:41:35from no age driving stock cars.

0:41:35 > 0:41:37We have our own track up in Manorcunningham,

0:41:37 > 0:41:41the DDT Raceways, he raced the juniors up there,

0:41:41 > 0:41:44when he was going to make it big... He's not here now.

0:41:49 > 0:41:51You always think that your children should be burying you

0:41:51 > 0:41:53instead of you burying them,

0:41:53 > 0:41:55but in this case, it's the other way about.

0:41:59 > 0:42:03You get the memories of why he shouldn't be in there that age, like.

0:42:03 > 0:42:05What he would have been like now, you know,

0:42:05 > 0:42:09he'd have been a man now, 23 years old, like, you know.

0:42:13 > 0:42:16And he should be coming to visit me instead of me coming to visit him,

0:42:16 > 0:42:17that's the way I look at it.

0:42:19 > 0:42:20But that's life.

0:42:25 > 0:42:29It's what the person leaves behind, all their family,

0:42:29 > 0:42:32the people who cares about them they left behind,

0:42:32 > 0:42:34we still have to go through this every day in the week,

0:42:34 > 0:42:38which they don't now, and that's what makes me angry.

0:42:40 > 0:42:43There is nothing in this world that can't be sorted,

0:42:43 > 0:42:45there's nothing you've done.

0:42:45 > 0:42:48I don't care what you've done, if you come and talk about it,

0:42:48 > 0:42:52it can be sorted out, one way or another.

0:42:58 > 0:43:01Craig was one of the team that recovered Adrian's body.

0:43:01 > 0:43:04If Foyle Search and Rescue do find a body,

0:43:04 > 0:43:07they take it to their secluded garage on the banks of the river.

0:43:07 > 0:43:09Body recovery is scary, it's eerie,

0:43:09 > 0:43:14it's one of the weirdest sensations that you ever come across, like,

0:43:14 > 0:43:17you know, you don't want to see what you're going to go and see.

0:43:18 > 0:43:21I hate down here now. You just think of all of the bodies that

0:43:21 > 0:43:23you've recovered down here and all that and then...

0:43:25 > 0:43:29If a rattle to the tin comes you could nearly run a mile!

0:43:33 > 0:43:36I actually think there's someone outside there, just...

0:43:36 > 0:43:38Spooky.

0:43:43 > 0:43:45No. Sorry!

0:43:46 > 0:43:49Thought I heard a vehicle there.

0:43:49 > 0:43:51Oh, you put it to the back of your mind,

0:43:51 > 0:43:56you couldn't cope with it, if you started to think about all the people that you've seen and all the sights.

0:43:56 > 0:43:58I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, like,

0:43:58 > 0:44:01maybe you've seen them again, or you're dreaming and...

0:44:01 > 0:44:03I think one of the guys,

0:44:03 > 0:44:06the first people that I had ever got, I sort of knew him, like.

0:44:06 > 0:44:11So him wearing Dr Marten boots and the laces was open...

0:44:11 > 0:44:15I'm dreaming a couple of times and him actually still being here,

0:44:15 > 0:44:20lying here and him saying to me, "For fuck's sake, go on, tie my boots,"

0:44:20 > 0:44:24you know, that's something that's just stuck with me over the years, it's still with me.

0:44:24 > 0:44:26You try and put it the back of your mind.

0:44:32 > 0:44:34It's Christmas Eve.

0:44:37 > 0:44:40The pager team are on call to deal with any incidents.

0:44:41 > 0:44:44Sean prepares to go out for one last search,

0:44:44 > 0:44:47while his wife, Mary, starts preparations for the big day.

0:44:47 > 0:44:51When Sean was asked to join the pager crew,

0:44:51 > 0:44:55he didn't accept until he came and talked to me and the kids and...

0:44:55 > 0:44:57I was just...

0:44:57 > 0:45:00I thought it was a lovely thing to give back

0:45:00 > 0:45:04and I knew Sean would be good at it and dedicated.

0:45:04 > 0:45:08I couldn't function on pager without the backing of my wife.

0:45:08 > 0:45:12You know, it does encroach on your family life.

0:45:12 > 0:45:15It comes first, to be honest with you, and the kids all know that.

0:45:17 > 0:45:20Life, if somebody has a problem or something has happened,

0:45:20 > 0:45:23then that's...nothing else more important than that, you know.

0:45:23 > 0:45:28We all want Sean just to go, we make it as easy as possible to get

0:45:28 > 0:45:33him out, open doors and whatever and get car keys and he's gone, you know.

0:45:33 > 0:45:35That's me away now.

0:45:36 > 0:45:37You're off.

0:45:39 > 0:45:42'What started out as a once-an-evening job

0:45:42 > 0:45:43'has become much, much more.'

0:45:43 > 0:45:45- Bye, love.- Bye.

0:45:45 > 0:45:46'I'm in my fourth year now with Foyle Search.

0:45:46 > 0:45:51'It does become engrossing, for want of a better word maybe,

0:45:51 > 0:45:54'because the more you do, the more you want to do.'

0:45:54 > 0:45:57I have four kids of my own, ranging from 19 to 29, and if this was

0:45:57 > 0:46:02one of my kids I would be absolutely up the walls about the whole thing.

0:46:02 > 0:46:04And that's the sort of slant I have on it,

0:46:04 > 0:46:06that if this was one of my kids here, you know,

0:46:06 > 0:46:09I'd be wanting to do everything and everything that I could.

0:46:09 > 0:46:13So, we'll get down and we'll do our thing

0:46:13 > 0:46:17and if we get a result today it'll be a huge Christmas present

0:46:17 > 0:46:20for me and for all the guys, to get a bit of closure for the family.

0:46:20 > 0:46:24When they get to the quayside, Eamonn's father and family

0:46:24 > 0:46:26have laid on a surprise for them.

0:46:28 > 0:46:30Where's the turkey and ham?

0:46:30 > 0:46:31All right, then!

0:46:31 > 0:46:33LAUGHTER

0:46:33 > 0:46:36Well, normally Eamonn,, that's the father of the youngster,

0:46:36 > 0:46:40he makes soup and stuff and we're sort of slagging him

0:46:40 > 0:46:43about getting turkey and stuff like that because it's Christmas Eve now.

0:46:43 > 0:46:48I tell you what, boys, if anybody's out tomorrow, there'll be divorce papers!

0:46:48 > 0:46:49We'll be all out!

0:46:49 > 0:46:50LAUGHTER

0:46:52 > 0:46:54I mean, through all the sadness it's sort of a bit of a distraction,

0:46:54 > 0:46:56a bit of break to us, really.

0:46:56 > 0:47:00The friends of the family, they're going to go out tomorrow, which is Christmas day,

0:47:00 > 0:47:02and then we'll go back out then on Boxing Day.

0:47:05 > 0:47:06Turn your radio up there, Paddy.

0:47:12 > 0:47:16# It'll be lonely this Christmas

0:47:16 > 0:47:20# Without you to hold

0:47:20 > 0:47:23# It'll be lonely this Christmas

0:47:25 > 0:47:28# Lonely and cold

0:47:28 > 0:47:33# It'll be cold, so cold

0:47:33 > 0:47:36# Without you to hold

0:47:36 > 0:47:38# This Christmas

0:47:48 > 0:47:50# This Christmas. #

0:48:01 > 0:48:05It's now six weeks since Eamonn disappeared.

0:48:05 > 0:48:09Phonsie McDermott has some sense of what Eamonn's family must be

0:48:09 > 0:48:10going through.

0:48:10 > 0:48:14They'll not be sleeping, they'll not be thinking right, they'll not be eating.

0:48:14 > 0:48:18Everything's going through their mind - why, where, when?

0:48:19 > 0:48:23It's grieving, but it takes a lot of time.

0:48:23 > 0:48:26You'll never get over it, or you'll never forget it,

0:48:26 > 0:48:28but you'll get easier to work with it.

0:48:29 > 0:48:33At the end of the day, if their loved one is in this river,

0:48:33 > 0:48:36Foyle Search and Rescue will definitely get it,

0:48:36 > 0:48:39because they have never lost a body here yet.

0:48:40 > 0:48:43The Moore family are still scouring the banks of the river

0:48:43 > 0:48:44for Eamonn's body.

0:48:46 > 0:48:49I suppose there's a bit of frustration there that we

0:48:49 > 0:48:52can't get him, you know. It's not knowing where...

0:48:53 > 0:48:57And you don't know how long this is going to go on, to be fair, you know.

0:48:57 > 0:49:00We don't feel we can move on until we get his body,

0:49:00 > 0:49:02so everything's focused on that.

0:49:02 > 0:49:05I don't think we've had a chance to even grieve properly yet.

0:49:05 > 0:49:08We're not even at the grieving stage, I think, we're just

0:49:08 > 0:49:11so focused on the goal of getting his body back, like that's all.

0:49:11 > 0:49:14We wake up every morning and we go out searching on the Foyle.

0:49:14 > 0:49:18I've fished this river all my life and I thought I knew it.

0:49:18 > 0:49:21It's like Groundhog Day, it was the same thing every day,

0:49:21 > 0:49:23you're coming down, you're searching for him,

0:49:23 > 0:49:26that's all you can do, you know, and pray, like.

0:49:26 > 0:49:29The whole of Derry is praying for him.

0:49:36 > 0:49:37Places where you've searched,

0:49:37 > 0:49:40I know he's not there because obviously every day,

0:49:40 > 0:49:45you know, you search and the tide's gone out and you're just left

0:49:45 > 0:49:49with rocks and stones and everything else, so he's not there.

0:49:49 > 0:49:52So it has me sort of confused - where is he?

0:49:57 > 0:50:00I've gone from the Peace Bridge!

0:50:00 > 0:50:01I'm only joking.

0:50:01 > 0:50:03We get a lot of people like that.

0:50:03 > 0:50:07Saying they're going to jump and they're just having a laugh.

0:50:07 > 0:50:08It's New Year's Eve.

0:50:08 > 0:50:10The run up has been relatively quiet,

0:50:10 > 0:50:15but Foyle Search and Rescue are out in force for the big night.

0:50:18 > 0:50:20It's New Year's Eve, it's brilliant,

0:50:20 > 0:50:23there's loads of crowds. It's really, really good on New Year's Eve.

0:50:25 > 0:50:28The majority of people come out of the clubs

0:50:28 > 0:50:31and they will get home safely, thank God, and have no major issues.

0:50:31 > 0:50:34You get the odd straggler, maybe this is the clients that we

0:50:34 > 0:50:37come across sometimes, who leave the clubs or pubs

0:50:37 > 0:50:40and are maybe a bit down in the mouth or depressed, or whatever.

0:50:48 > 0:50:51Of the complex cocktail of factors that can tip someone towards

0:50:51 > 0:50:54self harm, alcohol is one.

0:50:54 > 0:50:56Going to be sick? You're all right.

0:50:56 > 0:50:58'There are some people that would say that'

0:50:58 > 0:51:00suicides are impulsive.

0:51:00 > 0:51:05And it would be foolish to say that impulsive suicides don't exist,

0:51:05 > 0:51:07they do exist.

0:51:07 > 0:51:11However, I would argue that a lot of those impulsive suicides, people

0:51:11 > 0:51:14tend to be under the influence of alcohol, or some other drug.

0:51:14 > 0:51:18If a person has a stresser in their life and as a result of

0:51:18 > 0:51:22that stresser they misuse alcohol or some other drug,

0:51:22 > 0:51:26and they then have access to method, that's a very dangerous scenario.

0:51:26 > 0:51:30A lot of people who something is going on in their lives,

0:51:30 > 0:51:32they're in the bars in town,

0:51:32 > 0:51:36most of our bars are very accessible towards the river.

0:51:36 > 0:51:37DANCE MUSIC

0:51:41 > 0:51:45While the town celebrates 2012 in the clubs and bars...

0:51:45 > 0:51:47ALL: Five, four, three....

0:51:47 > 0:51:53..the Foyle Search and Rescue team see in New Year in a car park.

0:51:54 > 0:51:56- Happy New Year. - Happy New Year, Sean.

0:51:59 > 0:52:01Happy New Year to you, have a good one.

0:52:01 > 0:52:03Happy New Year!

0:52:05 > 0:52:07Great work.

0:52:07 > 0:52:09Good evening, Happy New Near to you.

0:52:09 > 0:52:10Happy New Year, guys.

0:52:10 > 0:52:11Thank you very much.

0:52:13 > 0:52:16Sean spots someone who's seeing in the New Year alone.

0:52:18 > 0:52:21Her behaviour is making him uneasy.

0:52:21 > 0:52:24Just going to pull in here a minute, to keep an eye on this girl

0:52:24 > 0:52:27because if she heads up on to the Peace Bridge I'm going to get

0:52:27 > 0:52:29the boat to come down and just see her off the other side.

0:52:36 > 0:52:39I can't figure where this lass has went because she hasn't passed.

0:52:39 > 0:52:40Can anybody see her there?

0:52:42 > 0:52:43At the railings?

0:52:43 > 0:52:45Why don't we just go there?

0:52:54 > 0:52:57Foyle Boat, that girl has gone on to the Peace Bridge there, maybe you'd

0:52:57 > 0:53:01keep an eye on her and see her off the end of the bridge there, over.

0:53:01 > 0:53:03She seems a bit distressed

0:53:03 > 0:53:06and possibly crying earlier on there, so just keep an eye on her.

0:53:14 > 0:53:16Foyle Boat. That girl has stopped

0:53:16 > 0:53:18at the railings there, do you see her, over?

0:53:18 > 0:53:21- She's stopped here.- This girl we were keeping an eye on has now

0:53:21 > 0:53:23stopped on the Peace Bridge here, so we're going to go over

0:53:23 > 0:53:26and have a word with her and see what's what.

0:53:27 > 0:53:28She seems very distressed

0:53:28 > 0:53:32and crying. So now at the moment, the team is with her

0:53:32 > 0:53:34trying to suss out what's going on.

0:53:49 > 0:53:50Are you OK, love?

0:53:55 > 0:53:56You just feel bad?

0:53:58 > 0:53:59How long have you felt like this?

0:54:00 > 0:54:03Come on. You'll be all right, we're here to help you.

0:54:04 > 0:54:06How long have you felt like this?

0:54:06 > 0:54:07CRYING

0:54:08 > 0:54:12Months? Any particular reason?

0:54:15 > 0:54:19And there's people that will help you through this here.

0:54:19 > 0:54:22Have you spoke to any of your family about it? You don't want to?

0:54:27 > 0:54:28Feeling suicidal?

0:54:28 > 0:54:30Are we the first person you've admitted this to?

0:54:30 > 0:54:34Ever? Oh, well, that's a massive step for you, already.

0:54:35 > 0:54:38Tell me this, what do you think your mum and dad would say tonight

0:54:38 > 0:54:41if I rang up and said that I have your daughter on the bridge

0:54:41 > 0:54:43here, how do you think they'd feel?

0:54:45 > 0:54:48Come on, we'll get you out of here.

0:54:50 > 0:54:52Come on, it'll be OK.

0:54:55 > 0:54:58I spent the past five weeks on the river searching for

0:54:58 > 0:55:00a young lad of 21 who's in the river.

0:55:00 > 0:55:03And I have to face his dad every day and his uncle,

0:55:03 > 0:55:06every day from nine in the morning, until nine at night.

0:55:06 > 0:55:10Would you honestly want to put your family through that?

0:55:10 > 0:55:11The team drive her home.

0:55:15 > 0:55:19It's three in the morning, the volunteers call it a night.

0:55:19 > 0:55:21That's why you come out on New Year's Eve,

0:55:21 > 0:55:25you help somebody that, if we hadn't been there tonight,

0:55:25 > 0:55:27it could have ended very badly

0:55:27 > 0:55:30and you do come away feeling,

0:55:30 > 0:55:33that, all right, you haven't solved her problems,

0:55:33 > 0:55:36but you've given her another day to deal with it, you know,

0:55:36 > 0:55:43so she can start again tomorrow and hopefully start a good 2012, better

0:55:43 > 0:55:47than it was going to be tonight, so it could have ended badly.

0:55:47 > 0:55:51It's hard for people, the general public, to realise sometimes what's happening beside them,

0:55:51 > 0:55:55This girl was standing on the railings right beside people and they were walking past her.

0:55:55 > 0:55:59But that's human nature, people don't want to interfere with other people's affairs,

0:55:59 > 0:56:00it's quite common.

0:56:00 > 0:56:02And that's why we're there.

0:56:02 > 0:56:04We see the tell tale signs and that's what we pick up on,

0:56:04 > 0:56:09and that's hopefully where we get intervention and prevention from going in the water.

0:56:09 > 0:56:10Goodnight, everybody.

0:56:18 > 0:56:22Their final act of the period is to gather all the volunteers

0:56:22 > 0:56:26for a search, co-ordinated with the police, for Eamonn.

0:56:28 > 0:56:30Well, the tide has raised. There's a possibility

0:56:30 > 0:56:33the body could be left, you need to get in there and check it.

0:56:33 > 0:56:35A really good search and that way then

0:56:35 > 0:56:38we can go back to the family and say, look, he's not lying out.

0:56:42 > 0:56:46Just having his body and being able to have a funeral, it'll make us

0:56:46 > 0:56:51feel a lot better and I think we can only move on once we've had that.

0:56:51 > 0:56:55Until we have his body we can't move on, we're stuck in this limbo.

0:57:03 > 0:57:05If we hadn't got Foyle Search and Rescue

0:57:05 > 0:57:07we basically would have nobody else to turn to.

0:57:09 > 0:57:10I go to Mass on Sunday and I...

0:57:10 > 0:57:15I pray a lot and there's a few names added to my people I pray for,

0:57:15 > 0:57:18that's the lads at Foyle Search and Rescue.

0:57:31 > 0:57:33The thing is people wear masks all the time.

0:57:33 > 0:57:35We all do it.

0:57:35 > 0:57:37But people who are having thoughts of suicide can wear

0:57:37 > 0:57:39even bigger masks.

0:57:47 > 0:57:50Men, in particular, are pretty good at wearing a mask

0:57:50 > 0:57:53because we've grown up in a culture where big boys don't cry.

0:57:55 > 0:57:58People think there's no way out and there is a way out of everything.

0:57:58 > 0:58:00It's only a matter of talking to somebody, you know and...

0:58:00 > 0:58:02I know people are different, you know,

0:58:02 > 0:58:07people are deep and some people like to keep things to themselves,

0:58:07 > 0:58:09but that's not the answer, you know.

0:58:09 > 0:58:12You've got to get it out, you've got to get somebody to talk to,

0:58:12 > 0:58:16go to a counsellor or talk to a family member, or somebody,

0:58:16 > 0:58:19you know, that they think that they can trust, that they can talk to.

0:58:19 > 0:58:23I mean, do it, I mean, you know, killing yourself is not the answer.

0:58:48 > 0:58:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd