Statement from our Chief Executive at the conclusion of the London Bridge Inquest

Friday 28 June 2019

I’d like to start by expressing my deepest sympathies for the families and friends of those who died on the night of Saturday 3 June 2017, and with the many survivors of this brutal attack.

I would like to thank the Chief Coroner for his full and rigorous examination of the facts. I would also like to personally pay tribute to each and every member of the London Ambulance Service who responded so quickly and professionally that evening. And also to the other emergency services, and in particular the police, as well as other clinicians, both on and off duty, who helped us save so many lives that night.

The first call we received was to a reported road traffic collision, at 2207. LAS crews arrived within 6 minutes and stayed on scene throughout. They immediately started treating the most seriously injured and evacuating many others to safety, away from the Bridge. It rapidly became clear to those on the ground that this was a major incident and we quickly deployed our full incident response capability.

Once the Metropolitan Police Service confirmed that they had declared a marauding terrorist incident, we, in common with the other emergency services, began operating under the required nationally agreed procedures.

It is a matter of great sadness to me, and all of my colleagues, that although we were able to help a great many people that night, tragically, this vile attack claimed the lives of eight innocent members of the public. We now know from the evidence given at these inquests that, such was the catastrophic nature of their injuries once they had been attacked, sadly there was nothing that could have been done to save the lives of any of these victims.

Thanks to the efforts of our colleagues across the wider NHS, every one of the 48 patients we took to hospital – many of whom had very serious injuries indeed – survived. My hope is that we will never again be called upon to respond to such an atrocity on the streets of London.

Finally I would like to return to the victims – to Alexandre, Christine, Ignacio, James, Kirsty, Sara, Sebastien and Xavier – and all those who were injured, and their loved ones as well. They remain in our thoughts today. I would like to express to them the sympathies of every member of the London Ambulance Service.

Garrett Emmerson

Chief Executive, London Ambulance Service