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Trauma kits to be placed in crowded places

Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Orchard has said that trauma kits, including military-grade wound dressings, are to be put in crowded public spaces to ‘increase survivability’ after potential terror attacks.

The packages, created with input from Counter Terrorism Policing, are being rolled out as the UK’s national terror threat level remains ‘substantial’, meaning further attacks are considered likely. It will means that arenas, football stadiums and railway stations will be offered new ‘public access trauma (Pact) first aid kits’.

The Manchester Arena inquiry has heard harrowing details of how stewards had to use items of clothing and merchandise to treat injured casualties because they had no proper equipment following the bombing.

Official protocols mean that paramedics cannot enter the scene of attacks without protection until they are formally declared safe, which has delayed treatment following several major incidents including the Manchester bombing and 2017 London Bridge attack.

St John Ambulance, which worked on the kits alongside citizenAID and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, called them an ‘important step forward on a path towards saving more lives’.

Orchard said: “It is vital that we raise awareness of how simple first aid, with appropriate equipment, can improve a person’s chances of survival in a whole range of scenarios. It is hoped that the new standards for Pact first aid kits will assist when people suffer the most serious of injuries.

“This is particularly relevant in the event of a live or ongoing terrorist incident, when first aid may need to be administered by the public until first responders are able to reach any casualties.”

The news comes as venues prepare for the Protect Duty, also known as Martyn’s Law, which is likely to place new legal duty requiring minimum standards of protection against terror attacks in large entertainment venues and public spaces.

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