Tasmania Police officers from across the state are rolling up their sleeves at their local Red Cross donation centres today as part of the annual Bleed4Blue blood drive.

Launched in 2018, Bleed4Blue is an annual, three-month law enforcement-focused blood drive that was created after Detective Sergeant John Breda from the NSW Police Force was saved by blood donations after being attacked in Maroubra.

Running from December through February, law enforcement officers across Australia are challenged to sign up to donate blood.

Commissioner Donna Adams said blood donations are a way we can help our community in a different way.

“We see first-hand how important blood donations are in our jobs assisting the Tasmanian public who have been injured because of a traffic crash, crime or other incident,” Commissioner Adams said.

Since its establishment, the Bleed4Blue campaign has saved more than 25,000 lives.

If you would like to give back to the community you can organise to donate at Australian Red Cross Life Blood.

For more information on donating visit https://www.donateblood.com.au/bleed-4-blue.