Stop the Bleed

The City of London Police was the second police force in the country to offer Stop the Bleed training to local businesses.

If someone has an accident, is a victim of knife crime or becomes injured in a mass-casualty incident, the single most preventable cause of death is bleeding.

The Stop the Bleed campaign, an initiative developed by the citizenAID charity, has been designed to teach people how to use the Stop the Bleed kits that are now appearing in the City of London in bars, shopping centres, transport hubs and sporting arenas.

Stop the Bleed kits are compact, specialized first aid kits, designed to control life-threatening bleeding in emergency situations. The kits are particularly useful in scenarios involving gunshot wounds, stabbings, crushing injuries, or other traumatic incidents causing major blood loss. These kits are crucial because they enable bystanders to provide essential medical aid before emergency services arrive.

Inside each Stop the Bleed kit is:

• Tourniquet;
• Haemostatic gauze;
• Chest seal;
• Bandage;
• Gloves;

Police Constable David Jarvis, at the City of London Police and the pre-hospital trauma care instructor lead, said:

“Catastrophic bleeding from a trauma injury, such as a car accident, or the rare occurrence of a stabbing or shooting, can prove fatal in a matter of minutes. We want to show how lives can be saved by using everyday items, such as a tie or scarf, or by using the stop the bleed kits.”

Since 2019, City of London Police has installed more than 300 kits in pubs and bars across the City.

When a bleed is quickly controlled, these kits can prevent excessive blood loss, increase the chances of survival, and minimise long-term complications. Victims with catastrophic injuries can die within minutes, so early intervention is critical. 

If you are a local business, youth group, or interested in being trained with Stop the Bleed kits email our Neighbourhood Policing Unit quoting Stop the Bleed in the title.