It Is Predominately Police Officers In London Who Are First On Scene To Perform First Aid On Knife Crime Victims-But What Are The Traumatic Impacts For Them?
On Tuesday 7 January, London lost its first child to knife crime. Fourteen year old Kelyan Bokassa was tragically stabbed to death in Woolwich on a 472 bus. It was police officers who were first on scene alerted by a local officer patrolling the area and it was indeed them who performed emergency first aid.
Sadly, despite the help of paramedics as well, the fourteen year old lost his life.
This is another tragedy that will live with those officers for the rest of their lives. The trauma of seeing a child lose his life in front of their very eyes despite every attempt to try and save him.
A member of Crime Scene Images London, was present at the scene of this horrendous incident and told the Havering Daily: “I was at the college nearby and saw from officers there, that something awful had happened. I work at many crime scenes, so I could recognise from the police officers’ faces that something truly terrible had occurred.
“I went over to the scene where the cordon was in place near the bus, saw how difficult it was for officers to get vehicles to adhere to stopping at the cordon.
“After the ambulance left, i spoke with a police officer who had been one of the first responders on scene and I saw the horrendous impact this had had on them The look in their eyes of the horrors they had just witnessed and dealt with. It is that certain look they have in their eyes, that really tells you just what they have been through. I asked the officer if they were ok and they respond that they were and as officers do, were professional and carried on with their job.”
For members of the public, it is awful to read about the fatal stabbing of a child. For police officers having to witness it, perhaps multiple times in their career, it is trauma impacting. Incidents that will haunt them forever.
“What is also a challenge is the difficulty these officers have on scene. Five cars drove through the crime scenes as officers had to divert them away. Also they are unable to share anything with members of the public who gather at these cordons. It really is hard for cordon coppers. They are just stood their dealing with irate members of the public and can’t say anything. I think It would be useful if officers could also have the press lines issued to tell the public, that would really help. Ultimately most police interaction is at local levels.”
Tuesday’s tragedy will have lasting impacts on the officers who did their very best to save the child’s life.
Officers faces a continuous barrage of abuse daily, yet these are the people who are there to deal with horrors such as knife crime and face more trauma in their career than we can ever imagine. Let’s remember that.
Please note: For any officers who may need support PTSD 999
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