The Police and Crime Commissioner says he’s ‘delighted’ more front line police officers will soon be carrying an antidote used to reverse the effects of a drug overdose.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, has delivered on a promise that Naloxone would be rolled out much further, with training now expanded force-wide.
Naloxone is a nasal spray which can temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose from opioids such as heroin, methadone, morphine and fentanyl. It can buy precious time until specialist paramedics arrive.
Thanks to the PCC, extra training has now commenced that will see 280 neighbourhood and response officers carry and administer Naloxone.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster said: “West Midlands Police became the first force in the country to pilot the use of Naloxone. Since then, 28 other forces across England and Wales have followed suit.
“I’ve been keen to continue to expand the use of Naloxone, by officers across the West Midlands, for a number of years. So I’m delighted to hear the feedback from officers who have volunteered to carry this life-saving medication on our streets.
“This latest expansion will save lives, and delivers on my pledge to reduce avoidable deaths from drug use right across the region.”
As well as Solihull, training has also been delivered to officers in the six other local areas: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Sergeant Emily Dooley, from the Solihull police team, said: “The training has been received really well from my team. Officers have been really enthusiastic about wanting to take on the training. It’s something we’ve been hoping to get back for quite a while as it’s really beneficial for us.
“We join to make a difference and this is an area where we can really make a difference because most of the time we’re on scene first and, if we can get that help delivered to people before other emergency colleagues arrive, then brilliant.”
This week, Naloxone training was delivered to officers by former drug addict Benjamin Smith. An addict for 22 years, Benjamin now works for Solihull Integrated Addiction Services and spoke about his own experiences and the tell-tale signs of an overdose.
Thanking officers for signing up for training, Benjamin said: “This is absolutely vital, especially with the synthetic opioids that are currently in circulation.
“The use of Naloxone – especially with police who are the emergency service that can come across overdoses on a day-to-day basis – is saving lives in the community which is really important.
“The feedback from officers has been really receptive. The officers are really, really keen. They get into that job to help people and Naloxone is key to that. It’s so vital.”
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