London’s blue-light services join together

A new blue-light partnership between London Ambulance Service and Metropolitan Police Service will see police officers across the capital driving ambulances and assisting medics to help boost the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Metropolitan Police Service has agreed to provide around 75 police officers to London Ambulance Service. The new partnership will help the ambulance service to continue to put more ambulances on the road responding to Londoners that need them.

The officers are blue light driving trained, have basic first aid skills and know the streets of London well, making them the ideal partners to assist the ambulance service during this period of unprecedented demand.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick visited the training at Wembley Stadium, where Jason Hallahan, Emergency Planning and Resilience Officer for London Ambulance Service, walked her around the set up and showed her how officers are being trained on vehicle familiarisation, manual handling and ambulance equipment – before the Commissioner spoke with the Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service, Garrett Emmerson.

Emmerson said: “London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police Service have worked hand in glove over many decades responding together to all of the most challenging incidents in the recent history of London. It makes perfect sense that in the face of sustained levels of unprecedented demand we are taking steps to help our staff and volunteers care for London by enlisting the help of our MPS colleagues.

“Partnership working with our emergency services colleagues is an essential part of our response to the pandemic and will help us to reach more patients in need of our help during this difficult time. We are also training more London Fire Brigade firefighters, whose support since April 2020 has been invaluable.”

A similar partnership between London Fire Brigade announced in April saw 300 firefighters helping with a number of roles across the ambulance service – including driving ambulances, support which is ongoing.