Cadets given immersive session on emergency first aid during week of Op Sceptre

The Nottinghamshire Police cadets have taken part in a workshop teaching them how to pack and correctly dress knife crime wounds.

The session was delivered on May 15 by PC Shaun White, who delivers the first aid sessions to all five cadet bases across the county.

Nineteen cadets from the base at force headquarters attended, as well as three leaders to help facilitate the session.

In the workshop, the cadets were given the opportunity to learn about knife crime, shown how to pack a wound on an injured dummy and were then able to practice this for themselves using a foam block with an artificial injury to it.

The cadets were also told about the different aspects of a first aid kit such as antiseptic wipes, wound dressings and burn gel.

Towards the end of the session, PC White demonstrated to the cadets how a tourniquet can be used on a limb to stem blood flow in the result of someone being stabbed.

The session forms part of Spectre which takes place in May and November each year - and is designed to highlight the work that Nottinghamshire Police, partners and the local community do all year round to tackle the issue of knife crime.

The nationwide campaign which runs between May 13 and 19, has centred this year around teaching young people about the consequences of carrying knifes and taking weapons off the streets. 

It’s hoped that the session will give the cadets practical skills which they can use later in life should they find themselves needing to administer first aid in an emergency, as well as teach them about the dangers of getting involved with knife crime.

Volunteer Police Cadets are a nationally recognised police uniformed youth group in England and Wales.

In Nottinghamshire, junior cadet sessions are available to those at secondary school between Years 7 and 11, with senior cadet sessions available to those in Years 12 and 13.

A total of 40 cadet leaders, made up of police officers, staff and civilian volunteers, offer their time, skills and knowledge to operate the force’s five cadet bases by running weekly sessions during school term time to 105 young people across Nottinghamshire.

Lyndsey Hufton, Citizens in Policing Coordinator at Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“It was great to see the cadets attending this first aid session dedicated to knife crime, delivered by one of our cadet leaders at force headquarters.

"It’s really important that the cadets learn these practical skills so they know how to act in an emergency and can use these skills should they ever need to if someone they are with is injured or they themselves are.

"We chose to put this session during the week of Spectre because we feel it’s crucial that the cadets learn about knife crime and hopefully are deterred from ever feeling like they need to pick up a knife.”