A new programme has provided “bleed kits” that help the public provide first aid to stab victims before emergency services arrive.

The kits are now located in Worthing, Bexhill, Hastings and Crawley but more sites are planned soon.

The project, which is run by Project Youth, also offers support and one-to-one mentoring for young people between ten and 18 years old who may be at risk of exploitation, grooming, county line gangs and knife crime.

Another programme offered by Project Youth is their “bleed control” training courses. The training package has been developed as a result of Project Youth founder Carl Scott and his team, installing the kits across Sussex.

Carl Scott said: “It was important that we didn’t just install the kits and leave it at that – while all kits have detailed instructions on how to use the equipment, our training sessions will help people to feel more confident in how to use them should they ever have to.

The Argus: Sussex Police and Crime Comissioner Katy Bourne with Project Youth founder Carl Scott, right, and a

“Moving forward, we plan to train more young people as well as adults and continue to install more cabinets across Sussex whilst still running our mentoring scheme where we can divert young people away from the risks of serious violence and into positive diversionary activities.” 

Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne previously joined Project Youth at a bleed control training session for Sussex probation staff, who are the first group of statutory service workers in the county to receive the training from Project Youth.

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During the session, staff were taught about why the bleed kits are installed, the contents of them, how to use what’s inside the bag, risks and dangers of a catastrophic bleed, how to pack wounds, how to use a chest seal, gauze and tourniquets.

The bleed kits were funded by the Sussex PCC.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “Although we hope that the public won’t ever need to use the bleed kits because Sussex still remains a safe place in which to live, we mustn’t ignore the fact that knife crime does happen in our county. 

“It’s extremely dangerous to carry a knife and the consequences can be catastrophic so safety measures like these will help to save lives.”