Dr. Tony Bleetman

Dr. Tony Bleetman has been a consultant in Emergency Medicine since 1996. He served as a HEMS (air ambulance) doctor for 12 years, serving as Clinical Director of the Midlands Air Ambulance for three years. Tony holds the positions of Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Warwick Medical School and Senior Lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London. He has an active and extensive research portfolio.

Tony received a PhD in Occupational Health from the University of Birmingham in 2000 for work on body armour. He served as a medical advisor to the Ministry of Defence serving as a member of SACMILL (Scientific Advisory Committee on Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons).

Tony qualified as a police instructor for unarmed defensive tactics, safe prisoner restraint, handcuffing, tactical communication skills, incapacitant sprays and knife defence. He has also trained in many physical intervention packages across the health, special education and secure homes sector. He also served on the NICE guidelines development group on managing the acutely disturbed psychiatric patient.

He has been able to offer medical advice on use of force, and injuries sustained during restraint, arrest and detention. He continues to provide expert advice to a number of national bodies and organisations on the safety of physical interventions. He is engaged in developing safe physical interventions and effective training strategies across a number of agencies including secure hospitals and secure children’s homes with the intention of minimising risk of injury to all parties.

Tony is leading on a newly created Masters programme on enhancing and safety and wellbeing of persons in care and custody at Queen Mary University of London, due to launch later this year.