Police get life saving machines

LIFE-SAVING equipment will now be carried in 30 cop cars across the county. The portable defibrillators will allow officers to treat any cardiac arrest cases they may encounter while on duty.

Speedy intervention could be the difference between life and death as the first few minutes after a heart attack are the most crucial.

Chief Inspector Duncan Southall, the force lead for the project, said: “Officers take an oath to protect life. They attend a variety of different incidents every day and can come across a few that involve life-threatening trauma.

“There may be times where officers are first on the scene at a police and medical emergency and in these instances the defibrillators will better equip them to start the chain of survival to help to save a life.”

The electronic devices will be carried in police vehicles at the start of duty and returned to police buildings across the Leicestershire force area at the end of a shift.

Ben Ryrie, community trainer from East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “It’s great there are now more defibrillators across Leicestershire. When someone is in cardiac arrest the first step is dialing 999, the next step is CPR and defibrillation to give the patient the best possible chance of survival. For every minute that CPR doesn’t happen a person’s chance of survival reduces by 10%.

“The first port of call in these situations is always the ambulance service but it’s nice to know the police are equipped if needed.”