Police Commissioner donates trauma kits to stop knife crime claiming lives in Derby

It follows a meeting with anti-violence campaigner Calvin Bowler

Angelique Foster handing kit to Sean Podmore, with Rangers from the Cathedral and St Peter's Quarter BIDs.
Author: Dan DaviesPublished 11th Dec 2021
Last updated 11th Dec 2021

Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster has donated 20 life-saving bleed control kits in support of a campaigner’s efforts to tackle knife crime and violence across the city’s night-time economy.

Following a meeting with anti-violence campaigner Calvin Bowler to hear about his work with the ‘Drop the Knife Campaign’, Commissioner Angelique Foster agreed to support his campaign to secure 100 bleed-control kits for distribution in the City’s pubs and Clubs.

These specialist kits, which contain chest seals, blast bandages and wound dressings aimed at stemming blood flow quickly in the event of a serious injury, help staff to respond quickly to save lives in the crucial minutes following a life-threatening injury.

The first of the 20 kits was handed over to Sean Podmore, manager of the Slug and Lettuce in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter, during a walkabout in the area with representatives from Derby Business Improvement District (BID) and city rangers.

Additionally, Derbyshire Police has been working in partnership with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and Derby City Council to install four new Bleed Control Cabinets across Derby City. These can be accessed 24 hours a day by the public in the event of a catastrophic incident.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: “I am determined to do everything possible to keep Derbyshire’s streets safe and protect residents from violence and I am grateful to people who are proactively supporting these efforts.

“As Police and Crime Commissioner, I want to ensure the public of Derbyshire feel safe when going about their daily lives, particularly when visiting our night-time economy.

“I want to see a no tolerance approach to knife crime, not just from the police, but from society as a whole. The police are working hard with dedicated operations, using intelligence-led stop and search and targeted youth work to tackle the problem and communities across the county are supportive of their work on this issue.

“But it is also vital that we look at practical steps too to prevent more needless deaths which is why I have provided these kits.”

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