More trauma kits needed to combat Lambeth ‘knife crime epidemic’

Lambeth council is being urged to make more emergency “bleed control kits” available throughout the borough, in response to shocking new knife crime statistics. 

Knife crime has hit a staggering new high in Lambeth, with 733 recorded offences in 2022.

That’s up 28 per cent on 2021, and is the second highest figure for any London borough – according to the Met Police’s Crime Dashboard. Only Westminster recorded a larger number (794). 

Knife crime increased by 15 per cent across the capital from 2021 to 2022 as Covid restrictions were lifted, but the increase in Lambeth was more than double the London average. 

The current rate of knife crime in Lambeth is now well above pre-pandemic levels. There were 582 knife crimes in Lambeth in 2018, 594 in 2019, 504 in 2020 and 572 in 2021, before the huge increase to more than 700 in 2022. 

There were a shocking 99 knife crime offences in Lambeth in the month of October 2022 alone – the highest for any London borough that month, and the largest monthly total for the borough in the past five years. 

Lambeth’s Liberal Democrat leader, Councillr Donna Harris, has called on Lambeth council to introduce bleed control kits throughout the borough to prevent bleeding out, life-changing injuries and deaths before emergency services arrive. 

And trauma surgeon Dr Martin Griffiths said more bleed kits needed to be installed around London, as people were “literally bleeding to death in the streets”. 

Other London boroughs, like Southwark, have taken steps to fund bleed out kits, which cost as little as £85.

The kits are like first aid kits but include trauma dressings, gauze, chest seals and tourniquets to help stop serious bleeding 

Cllr Harris said: “The shocking rise in knife crime across London – and particularly in Lambeth – has become a silent epidemic. 

“Knife crime doesn’t always mean death, but has far reaching effects for its victims and their families, and huge costs to the struggling NHS. 

“That’s why I’m calling on Lambeth council to support the introduction of bleed control kits across our borough. Time is critical to prevent victims from dying or suffering life-changing injuries before emergency services arrive. 

“The council should lobby the London Violence Reduction Unit to fund bleed kits for our borough, while also pushing for large businesses like Tesco and Sainsbury’s to sponsor bleed kits and make them available in their stores.” 

A spokesman for Lambeth council said: “Lambeth is committed to protecting all our residents from the scourges of violence and knife crime, and we have an ambitious strategy for making this borough one of the safest places in London for children, teenagers and young adults.

“Lambeth Made Safer uses a ‘public health approach’ to reduce serious youth violence – intervening as early as possible to tackle a wide range of factors that can have a damaging influence on our young people.

“While we will examine the experiences of other boroughs in the effectiveness of bleed kits, we currently provide emergency first-aid training for our young people.

“This has been provided through StreetDoctors, a national charity that puts young people at the centre of emergency first-aid provision and empowers them to become part of the solution to violence.”

(Picture: Pixabay)