Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has praised the life-saving actions of a West Midlands Police officer after a man was found lying unconscious due to a suspected drug overdose.
PC Kirstie Brooks successfully administered Naloxone – a fast-acting nasal spray that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose – to the man who was unresponsive near a fast-foot outlet in Wolverhampton.
PC Brooks, who has served with West Midlands Police for 28 years, said: “The man was on his back, not responding, so I checked his airways and placed him in the recovery position, as we’d been shown, but his breathing was very shallow and his lips were pale.
“I then squirted the Naloxone up his nose just once. He didn’t seem to respond and I was starting to wonder if it would work, when there was suddenly a flicker of his eye and he started to sit up. I had done it correctly and although he was still a bit wobbly it was such a relief.”
She was then able to leave the man in the care of paramedics who made sure all the necessary medical checks and treatment were completed.
PC Brooks added: “As I’d recently had the training, I knew what signs to look out for with an overdose of opioids and was confident in administering this spray. I do believe that if I had not used this spray the outcome for this man could have been very different.”
PC Brooks’ actions follows PCC Simon Foster’s successful campaign to roll-out Naloxone use across the force.
Thanks to the PCC, extra training has now commenced and remains ongoing that has seen 280 neighbourhood and response officers, including PC Brooks, carry and administer Naloxone.
West Midlands Police became the first force in the country to pilot the use of Naloxone and, since then, 28 other forces across England and Wales have followed suit.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, who has always supported the day-to-day carriage of Naloxone by officers in the West Midlands, said: “I’d like to commend PC Brooks for her quick-thinking actions as she potentially saved this man’s life in Wolverhampton.
“The circumstances of this case illustrate the importance of Naloxone and the positive impact it can have on the streets. It’s why I’ve campaigned for officers to carry and administer this life-saving antidote.
“The latest expansion of Naloxone carriage and training to 280 officers in the West Midlands will continue to save lives, and delivers on my pledge to reduce avoidable deaths from drug misuse right across the region.”
Wolverhampton City Centre Inspector Sophie Clement, added: “PC Brooks did a fantastic job here, she knew the signs to look out for and administered the spray to great effect – it’s a super example of just how well this can work.
“Once trained, officers can carry the spray on their utility belts and use it to potentially save lives. It’s so quick and it means officers and then paramedics can deal with overdoses really effectively.”
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