New life-saving bleed control kits rolled out across Black Country borough in fight on violent crime
New kits aimed at saving a person's life if they are bleeding have been rolled out across a Black Country borough.
West Midlands Police have been distributing life-saving Bleed Control Kits across the Walsall borough in strategic locations, with ten of the kits now available to use if an emergency arises.
The locations include the Saddlers Centre at both Park Street and Bridgeman Street, Park Place Shopping Centre in Park Street and Walsall’s Youth Bus.
Other bleed kit locations include St Peter’s Church in Bloxwich, Royal George Public House in New Road, Willenhall, The Crown Inn, on Anchor Road, Aldridge, Swan Flooring in High Street, Brownhills, Pelsall Village Centre, in High Street, Pelsall, and Blackwood Butchers in Blackwood Road, Streetly.
The force said there were plans to locate the remainder of the 23 bleed kit across the Walsall Borough very soon.
It has also been working in close partnership with West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership, West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Fire Service and Walsall Council to enable them to be successfully distributed.
The bleed kits which contain bandages, tourniquets and gloves are essential as they can allow treatment to begin before paramedics arrive and are designed to be easy to use and keep an injured person alive until they can receive treatment from a paramedic or a doctor.
The roll-out follows passionate campaigning from Lynne Baird, whose son Daniel died in July 2017 after he was stabbed to death in Birmingham.
She has since set up the Daniel Baird Foundation which campaigns for bleed control kits to be placed in locations accessible to the public.
PC Ian Brotherton, Young Persons Officer at Walsall, said: “These bleed kits are being rolled out through an excellent multi-agency approach.
"Walsall Police have been working in joint partnership with a number of agencies including the emergency services, Walsall Council and the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership and this is just a great example of how joint agency working can work so productively.
“It’s important when someone is stabbed, cut or injured that they receive first aid treatment straight away.
"These kits are designed to save lives and they are now being placed in accessible locations across the Walsall borough in case they are needed to save a life.”
