Cab drivers to carry medical kits in their taxis to treat stab wounds

Alex Chivers, co-founder of Rapaid, explained the urgency behind the initiative: "It's a grim fact that you can bleed to death in under five minutes. The quicker treatment begins, the better your chances of survival."

The charity plans to issue 50 kits to cabbies in Cardiff, expanding their network which already includes six other UK cities.

Taxis carrying the kits will be identifiable by stickers on their vehicles, allowing members of the public to flag them down in case of emergencies.

The kits contain bandages designed to stem serious blood loss. Thousands have already been distributed in London, Manchester, Oxford, Exeter, Swindon and Plymouth.

Chivers, a former soldier and police officer, emphasised the importance of public access to these bandages: "From my experience, it's normally the public that are the first people on scene before anybody arrives, before help comes."

The scheme isn't limited to knife crime victims. The kits have been used for various injuries, including those involving drunk revellers or broken glass.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Five pupils and one teacher injured in mass stabbing at Portuguese school as police arrest '12-year-old suspect'
• Bus passenger severely injured after yob hurl bricks through window at commuters
• Teenager killed pensioner in pub fight just MINUTES after being freed over stabbing

Taxi drivers aren't expected to administer first aid, Chivers clarified: "They could simply hand them over to bystanders helping someone in need."

The initiative, launched in Cardiff on Friday, has received support from the council, taxi drivers, and South Wales Police.

Recent figures show a decline in knife-related incidents in Wales. Hospital admissions for assault with sharp objects dropped to 60 in the year up to March 2024 - a 19 per cent reduction from the previous year and a 50 per cent decrease from five years ago.

Police-recorded knife and sharp instrument offences in Wales have also slightly decreased from a peak of 1,680 in 2019-20. However, last year's figure of 1,584 offences remains more than twice as high as a decade ago.

About half of these offences occur in the South Wales Police area, indicating that knife crime remains a concern in some communities.

Chivers acknowledged this ongoing issue, he said: "It's better to have the kits and not need them, but if one bandage saves one life, then we've achieved what we want."

The Cardiff initiative is part of Rapaid's broader vision for nationwide adoption of these life-saving kits.

Chivers expressed his ambition: "What I'd love to see is that these are on the taxis across the whole country, and it just becomes normal that they carry these."

The scheme's potential benefits extend beyond immediate medical aid.

Rhys Morgan from Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan licensing section said: "Having the tools available across the city to assist in preparedness and response to serious accidents or emergencies is a step forward in providing support to the wider daytime and nighttime economy in the city."

With bilingual instructions included in Cardiff's kits, the initiative demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and local needs.

As the programme expands, it could significantly enhance emergency response capabilities in urban areas across the UK.