LIFESAVING defibrillators are being installed outside three local police stations.

Gwent Police is siting the specialist equipment for use by staff and the public at 22 stations across the force area, including in Monmouth, Chepstow and Caldicot.

Used to help people having a sudden cardiac arrest, people in Caldicot can already find their defib in a bright yellow cabinet on the wall outside the station, with the other two due to be put up in the next few weeks.

The investment has been driven by Chief Constable Julian Williams, after a number of Gwent Police staff suffered cardiac arrests at work in recent years, and has been supported by the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust as part of the ‘Save A Life Cymru’ campaign.

He said: “This crucial equipment is being made available for staff to access if needed, and also to the public without the need for our involvement due to its location on the exteriors of buildings.

“After a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by 10 per cent. Sadly, we know that only too well following recent tragedies, so it is important that we do whatever we can to avoid this from happening again.”

“The cabinets, which are temperature-controlled, are locked and require a special code to be opened. Our officers will have that code, along with the Ambulance Service, and so can provide it to members of the public who contact them during a medical emergency in that area, if necessary.”

Carl Powell, Clinical Support Officer at the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, said: “This is a great step forward in supporting the communities of Gwent by improving early access to a defibrillator, which is an essential part of the chain of survival.

“They are shown to improve chances of survival dramatically if used early in the event of a cardiac arrest. We are therefore delighted to work with Gwent Police on this project.”

The device works by giving a high energy electric shock, called defibrillation, to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest.

No training is required to use one, as the machine gives clear spoken instructions.

For more information about the devices, visit https://crowd.in/uJQilR.