Hundreds of London bars and pubs to fit bleed control kits to help stab victims and tackle UK knife crime epidemic – The Sun

HUNDREDS of life-saving bleed control kits have been given to London bars and pubs to help stab victims.

The UK's horrific knife crime epidemic has prompted the City of London Police to distribute a total 320 kits to prevent more lives being claimed.


It comes as London remains in the grips of a horrific spate of knife crime.

The capital's knife crime is at a record high – with more than 15,000 offences recorded.

The force's Assistant Commissioner, Alistair Sutherland, said the kits were “one of the many tactics” to help cope with the capital’s “knife crime problem.

“We want to be as prepared as possible to deal with knife crime injuries.”

The kits can save time, until paramedics arrive, and prevent bleeding leading to a fatality.

Contained in a bright red bag, those applying first aid can use trauma bandages, tourniquets and adhesive chest seals to treat stab wounds, or gunshots.

The life-saving ‘Bleed Control Kits’ have been given to late-night venues in the Square Mile initially, and are expected to be rolled out to other areas in the capital.

If it prevents just one person losing their life, then that is no bad thing.

Among those welcoming the move are Margaret and Barry Mizen, the parents of murdered schoolboy Jimmy Mizen.

They lost their son in south east London in 2008, a day after his 16th birthday.

The couple have been campaigning for more safety on London's streets since their boy was battered by Jake Fahri, 19, with an oven dish that shattered, severing an artery in his neck.

Jimmy died minutes later in his brother's arms.

The Mizens told Sky News the kit "is not a panacea to solve knife crime – the idea really is to stop so many people dying.

"And if it prevents just one person losing their life, then that is no bad thing."

DANIEL BAIRD FOUNDATION

They praised the efforts of Lynne Baird, whose son Daniel was killed two years ago.

London is following a similar launch by West Midlands Community Safety Partnership earlier this year with The Daniel Baird Foundation.

Lynne runs the foundation in memory of her son, who was fatally stabbed while out with friends in Birmingham on July 8, 2017.

There was no first aid or bleed control kit available at the scene of the attack, and Daniel died shortly after arriving at hospital, due to catastrophic bleeding.

Lynne Baird said: “I’m delighted that the City of London Police has agreed to partner with the foundation, and that these life-saving kits will now be distributed to venues across the City.

"I hope that this launch today will spark more forces to join our campaign and help make these kits available up and down the country.”

SWIFT ACTION NEEDED

On average, it takes an ambulance responding to a 999 call from someone with life-threatening illnesses or injuries seven minutes to reach a patient.

But bleeding from serious injuries – such as those suffered in a stabbing, shooting, car or industrial accident – can prove fatal in three to five minutes.

So far this year, more than 110 murder investigations have been launched in the capital by Met and British Transport Police. Almost two-thirds of the deaths involved stabbings.

Last year was London's bloodiest in a decade when the number of homicides reached 132.

There were 73 deaths involving a knife, 13 involving a gun and one a crossbow.

Recent data revealed that 16 of the 20 most dangerous places in England and Wales for serious knife crime were in London.

Office for National Statistics says that in the 12 months to June 2019, there were 43,516 police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument across Wales and England.

This is the highest figure since such records began in 2011 and an eight per cent spike from the previous year.

NHS England's records reveal that hospital admissions for all injuries caused by an assault with a knife or sharp object have spiked by almost a third since 2013, to 4,986 in 2018.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND SOMEONE WITH A SEVERE BLEED

The main aim is to prevent further blood loss and minimise the effects of shock. The NHS advises people follow these steps.

  • Dial 999 and ask for an ambulance as soon as possible
  • If you have disposable gloves, use them to reduce the risk of infection
  • Check there is nothing embedded in the wound and if there is do not press down on the object
  • Instead, press firmly on either side of the object and build up padding around it before bandaging to avoid putting pressure on the object itself
  • If nothing is embedded apply and maintain pressure to the wound with your gloved hand, using a clean pad or dressing if possible
  • Continue to apply pressure until the bleeding stops
  • Use a clean dressing to bandage the wound firmly
  • If bleeding continues through the pad, apply pressure to the wound until the bleeding stops, and then apply another pad over the top and bandage it in place
  • Do not remove the original pad or dressing, but continue to check that the bleeding has stopped


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