Police first aid training significantly bolstered to help save lives

The new College of Policing programme will mean officers now receive at least 12 hours of first aid training and a six-hour refresher course every year.

The current first aid programme requires only nine hours initial training and a four-hour yearly refresher.

The college said learning and recommendations following the Manchester Arena Inquiry are in the new first aid learning programme. This includes the management of catastrophic bleeding and the ability to assess the seriousness of a person’s injuries within ten seconds so the officer can help those most seriously ill first.

Using the NHS’s ten second triage will bring policing into line with other emergency services, the college said

A more in-depth focus on recognising and managing acute behavioural disturbance (ABD), an umbrella term for complex and potentially fatal conditions, is also included. ABD is a medical emergency and the new training will better equip officers to spot it.

Alongside the additions there is still training on dealing with stab wounds, acid attacks and giving CPR.

Superintendent Gaynor Wardle, head of Specialist Operations at the College of Policing, said: “The first duty of all police officers is to preserve life and on a daily basis officers are keeping people safe and responding to life threatening incidents. Our improved first aid training will make sure officers have the skills and knowledge needed for their challenging and complex role.

“Many brave officers respond to serious incidents every day and do their upmost to save lives but we know they have sometimes not been as well equipped as they should have. This new training will mean officers have a specific input that equips them, as first responders, with the skills they need to keep people safe.

“The feedback so far has been incredibly positive and we’ll continue to work closely with forces as the new training is rolled out.”

The college’s new curriculum must be used in forces by the end of April 2025.

Improvements to the first aid training are part of an uplift in the standard and quality of training provided for frontline policing. It follows previously announced increases in personal safety training for officers.

The review of the course was underway before the recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the college said. It also includes recommendations from the Independent Office for Police Conduct and coronial inquiries.

The College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council will support forces to introduce the new course.