Leicestershire Police officers are to be issued with "trauma" kits to help control sever bleeding when responding to violence.

The Haemorrhage Packs, worth £10,000, are the same as ones used by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and have been distributed as part of the Lives Not Knives campaign.

They contain chest seals, blast bandages, wound dressings and tourniquets for stopping blood flow quickly after serious injuries.

The kits are designed to give officers everything they need, when responding first to the scene of an emergency.

Leicestershire Police and Crime commissioner Lord Willy Bach announced at a knife crime conference an agreement for 120 of the packs to be issued has been reached.

He said: “Our police officers already undertake comprehensive first aid training as part of the job.

“The Haemorrhage Packs go one step further ensuring vital equipment is available instantaneously to give victims the best possible chance of survival when they have suffered trauma.

“By the nature of their work, police officers are often first on the scene of a critical incident and it makes perfect sense to equip them to act in those precious early minutes.

“With violence an ever-present threat on Britain’s streets, we need to look at practical measures as well as preventative work to avert more unnecessary deaths and this is a positive step forward.”

The Lives Not Knives campaign aims to educate young people about the risks of carrying weapons
The Lives not Knives campaign aims to educate young people about the risks of carrying weapons.

The move comes on top of the PCC’s pledge to invest £100,000 from reserves into tackling knife crime at grassroots level in Leicestershire to turn impressionable young people away from gang mentality and street violence.

This £100,000 is in addition to the Commissioner’s £250,000 Crime Prevention Fund.

Lee Brentnall, ambulance operations manager for EMAS, said: “We have seen an increase of violent knife crime across the East Midlands and nationally and one of our Big Three visions is to work closely with our partners to improve the outcomes of our patients.

“Thank you to Lord Willy Bach for funding the initial deployment of these packs across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

"It’s fantastic news that Leicestershire Police have agreed to train all police officers and place these packs in all frontline police cars. “