130 Bleed Control Kits to be introduced across Bedfordshire
The lifesaving kits are designed for members of the public to help provide treatment to someone with severe bleeding
Bedfordshire Police have announced 130 bleed control kits are going to be introduced across Bedfordshire, to help reduce the impact of severe bleeding after a trauma.
The force's Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU) and non-profit organisation Wingman Mentors have teamed up to provide the kits.
Featured in each kit are trauma care items, including a trauma dressing, chest seal, pack bandage and tourniquet, to help members of the public treat severe bleeding whilst waiting for emergency services to arrive.
The kits will be placed across the county, with locations available on the emergency alert app Good-Sam, so bystanders can find them in an emergency.
Cara Gavin, Head of VERU, says the kits can have a "critical" role to play in saving lives and in the rare case of needing the kits "we're proud to be ensuring anyone facing a life-threatening situation has better access to immediate trauma care".
Distribution of the kits is just phase one of the project, which will also see the delivery of awareness sessions on knife crime and interventions available. Work from Wingman Mentors' youth workers will also provoke self-reflection, and supporting young people to make wiser choises.
Michelle Kane, Wingman Mentors' Operations Director, says they're "thrilled" to be working with the VERU for the initiative.
“This project isn’t just about placing kits; it’s about creating a network of local volunteers who care for and manage these resources, bringing communities together in the shared mission of safety and support.
“The awareness sessions offer a space to discuss the impacts of knife crime, explore its causes, and begin to address some of the difficult questions surrounding it. This initiative allows us to support young people at risk of involvement in knife crime, connecting them with mentors who encourage healthier choices and positive actions, creating safer communities and better futures.”
The funding will support training of 65 volunteers - one for each ward- who will maintain the kit and make sure they're replenished.
Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard has expressed his pleasure at being involved with the scheme, which he says is "crucial if we are going to stem the issue of knife crime."