THE horrific rape and murder of a young mum has inspired a hi-tech system which could save lives.

In 2005, Farah Noor Adams was brutally attacked as she exercised near the River Kelvin in Maryhill.

In February 2006, Thomas Waddell, 19, was jailed for life after pleading guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to raping and murdering Ms Adams.

The death of the 34-year-old prompted Glasgow Humane Society officer George Parsonage to improve safety on the city's riverside paths.

He realised most people walking by the city's rivers would be unable to give emergency services their precise location if they were assaulted or involved in an accident.

Mr Parsonage hit on the brainwave of linking the hundreds of lifebelts along the river walkways to a satellite navigation system.

Each lifebelt is given a unique ID number which the public, if they are involved in an incident nearby, can quote to emergency services.

Control room operators know where each lifebelt is sited and will be able to send help.

Mr Parsonage said: "There is a notice on the lifebelt and if you quote, for example, UN23 an orange dot starts flashing at 999 headquarters and they know exactly where you are.

"It could be used if someone broke their ankle or there was a mugging or traffic accident nearby.

"It can be very difficult for people on a riverbank to identify exactly where they are, so this is a way for the police to find them."

All the Clyde bridges, from the Garrion in Lanarkshire to the Erskine Bridge, are linked to the global positioning system.

And 90% of the lifebelts on the River Clyde – a total of around 500 – are also linked to the system.

Recently, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service gave the Humane Society £500 to expand the network further.

Mr Parsonage is hoping to be able to link up every lifebelt on the Clyde and expand it to the River Kelvin, the White Cart Water and other waterways in the city.

He said: "The system on the Albert Bridge next to the High Court has been running for some time and was used 102 times in one year.

"People were coming out of the court and there were muggings and fights as well as a number of traffic accidents and they were using the number of the lifebelt to alert police.

"There was also a case of a girl who fell and broke her ankle. She was able to use the system to let the ambulance know where she was."

Glasgow was the first city in the UK to use GPS tracking on lifebelts but it is understood a number of other places are now considering following the city's lead.

Mr Parsonage added: "There is no doubt this system can save lives – the position of someone who phones in can be identified precisely."

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk