Police save lives with spray to reverse overdoses

Seven people’s lives have been saved by police officers since an antidote spray used to reverse the effects of heroin and crack cocaine overdoses was introduced earlier this year, a police force has said.

Naloxone nasal spray is being used by North Yorkshire Police to help restore regular breathing to a person if it has slowed or stopped within 15 minutes of an opioid overdose.

A spokesperson for the force said the voluntary training programme was launched in April and so far 140 officers had been issued with Naloxone.

Danny Stannard, harm reduction officer at North Yorkshire Police, said the force was “very proud” of its rollout so far.

Mr Stannard added: “More than double that number of officers will be taking part in upcoming training sessions in September and October, which will ensure the spread of Naloxone-trained officers will cover every part of the force area.”

Emma Plant, from Harrogate, who was injected with Naloxone by a neighbour following an overdose in 2021, said there “might have been a different outcome” without it.

She told BBC Radio York: “I had been using heroin and crack cocaine for 10 years of my life, and I was a broken person, to be honest.

“One particular day, I had an overdose and I remember coming back round and being told I was blue, but that didn’t even scare me.

“I was in shared housing and luckily a man who lived there had some Naloxone on him and he injected me, or I might not be here otherwise."

Ms Plant said it was "great the police force are willing to carry it on them".

"I want to see more people have it," she said.

The mother-of-four said since that overdose, she had turned her life around after her addiction resulted in her youngest son going into foster care and her mother looking after her other children.

She said her son was now back with her and she had a “brilliant relationship” with her children.

Ms Plant now runs a recovery organisation called North Yorkshire Connected Spaces, helping people with addiction problems, mental health issues, homelessness, and domestic violence.

She said: “It might have been a different outcome for me today if that gentleman hadn’t given me Naloxone.

"We’re now going to be going on the streets of North Yorkshire and handing out Naloxone sprays and trying to help people into recovery."

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