More than 700 potentially life-saving defibrillators will be fitted to police vehicles and stations across London as part of a new scheme.

The initiative, led by London Ambulance Service and the Met, will see the equipment, used to restart a person’s heart after they have suffered a cardiac arrest, rolled out across east London this month.

Defibrillators were handed out to officers in Redbridge yesterday (Monday, July 10), while police in Waltham Forest are due to receive the new kit on July 24.

Chris Hartley-Sharpe, head of first responders at London Ambulance Service, said: “Every second counts when someone is in cardiac arrest.

“The only way to restart a heart is with a defibrillator so the sooner one arrives with someone trained to use it, the better the outcome for the patient.

“While we will always send an ambulance response as a priority, by working together with the police service we can ensure patients in cardiac arrest receive vital treatment as quickly as possible.”

As part of the initiative, police officers equipped with defibrillators, who are available to respond, will be alerted to a potential cardiac arrest at the same time as ambulance crews.

This means if officers reach the patient first, or are already on scene, they can begin providing life-saving treatment until medics arrive.

Based on results from a pilot, the ambulance services estimates the scheme could save dozens of lives each year.