Warrington taxi drivers get life-saving bandages for knife emergencies

The scheme, which has now been officially launched, saw Cheshire Police officers in the town hand out potentially life-saving bandages to 50 taxis based at Bank Quay train station.

The kits, made by charity RAPAID Emergency Bandages, have now been handed to more than 3,000 cabs across the country.

RAPAID founder Alex Chivers said: “With a serious haemorrhage, it is a grim fact that you can bleed to death in under five minutes.

“Time literally does save lives, and the quicker treatment begins, the better your chances of survival.

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“It made perfect sense to use the same military bandages designed for the battlefield, and to have these bandage kits carried on taxis that are in and out of our community day and night.”

The kits contain several bandages designed to stem serious blood loss following a knife attack or accident and an instruction guide on how to use them.

Warrington officer PC Barber with Alex and Neil at Bank Quay

The hope is that participating taxis, that will display a green RAPAID window sticker, can be flagged down by members of the public needing emergency medical attention.

Police CI Neil Drum said: “Knife crime is a key priority, and Cheshire Police has an excellent history of partnership working.

“This distribution of emergency bandages to taxis across Warrington could be the difference in saving someone’s life.”

The rollout in Warrington coincided with Operation Spectre – a bi-annual initiative aimed at tackling UK knife crime through coordinated action.

This month, it ran from November 11 to 17 and saw 254 knives being taken off of Cheshire’s streets.

Efforts throughout the week included 28 weapons sweeps conducted, 34 surrender bins installed and 54 stop and searches carried out.