Stourport Safer Neighbourhood Team roll out 11 lifesaving bleed kits
PC Bennett said the idea came from seeing similar kits in schools elsewhere in the country
Stourport now has 11 publicly accessible bleed kits following a local initiative led by PCs Mark Bennett and Sam Maher from the Stourport Safer Neighbourhood Team.
Bleed kits are specialised first aid packs designed to control excessive bleeding and could make the difference between life and death in emergency situations.
PC Bennett said the idea came from seeing similar kits in schools elsewhere in the country.
“I had seen on social media about a school up north that had bleed kits, and I turned to my colleagues and said that I wish we had them in Stourport.
"That inspired me to spend some time researching where to get these kits from, and I came across The Daniel Baird Foundation Charity” he explained.
The charity was set up in memory of Daniel Baird, a 26-year-old fatally stabbed in Birmingham in 2017.
Daniel died due to catastrophic bleeding, and his family now raises awareness about the importance of publicly accessible bleeding control packs.
PC Maher added: “The aim isn’t to bring concern to the town that we have a huge knife problem, we wanted to add something into Stourport that adds that extra bit of safety should it ever be needed."
Kits have been donated to Stourport High School, Burlish Bike Park, and the new youth centre on The Walshes. Other kits can be found at:
- Gore Properties, St Michaels Close
- Elizabeth Mills Centre, Sion Gardens
- Public Access Toilets, Riverside Car Park
- Stourport Community Centre, Lower Lickhill Road
- The Black Star, Mitton Street
- Pinfold Court
Dr Lynne Baird MBE praised the initiative: “Huge congratulations to West Mercia Police in Stourport, Worcestershire for their outstanding work in getting bleed control kits into the local community. Your dedication, collaboration, and commitment to public safety will undoubtedly save lives. The area is safer because of your efforts, and your proactive approach sets a powerful example for others to follow.”
Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Morris also highlighted the importance of partnership work: “This is an incredible example of passion and initiative from one of our Safer Neighbourhood Teams and I commend PC Bennett and PC Maher on their work to get these potentially lifesaving bleed kits onto the streets of Stourport.
“This also demonstrates how collaboratively working with partner agencies, such as the town council, makes us a much stronger force and together we have now provided something to the people of Stourport that could potentially one day prevent someone losing a life.
“I have been involved with the Daniel Baird Foundation and Lynne for many years and her mission to roll out bleed kits and awareness.
"I wholeheartedly support this drive to get vital first aid equipment into our town and city centres. They can support a number of incidents from accidents, road collisions, knife crime and assaults.
“Whilst West Mercia doesn’t see the levels of knife crime that is seen in some parts of the UK, the access to lifesaving kit in a time of need is really important”.
The announcement of the bleed kits coincides with Sceptre Week, a national anti-knife crime initiative aimed at highlighting the ongoing work of police teams to keep communities safe.