Life saving opiate overdose antidote saves lives in the north east

The antidote has been administered 19 times by Northumbria Police Credit: Northumbria Police

The rollout of a potentially life-saving antidote has resulted in the reversal of 19 overdoses in the Northumbria Police force area.

Officers from the force's Neighbourhood Policing Teams first started carrying naloxone in November 2023.

Previously, naloxone had been available in custody suits and from drug treatment centres who could administer the antidote prescription free to someone at risk of opiate overdose.

Naloxone is a nasal spray which can serve as an emergency antidote for overdoses caused by heroin and other opiates or opioids, such as fentanyl, methadone and morphine.

Police Officers are often the first responders to an incident, and those who have been specially trained to recognise any suspected symptoms of opioid overdose are able to administer naloxone to potentially save a life.

This follows Cleveland Police, who trained 150 officers in the use of the antidote when they introduced it in March 2022.

They reported in April 2023 that they had already saved 32 lives since its introduction.

Administering naloxone reverses the effects of an opioid overdose by quickly reversing breathing difficulties. Credit: PA Images

Naloxone was first administered on a 26-year-old man in the Newcastle area on 23 December last year, and has been successfully utilised a further 18 times.

Chief Inspector Rob Bosson, of Northumbria Police, said: “The results since the Force rolled out the use of naloxone have been hugely positive.“We have already seen 19 uses, which I see as 19 lives saved, with the spray helping to restore a person’s breathing and buying more time for medical intervention by ambulance and hospital teams.”

Ch Insp Bosson added: “However, it is crucial to stress that naloxone is not considered the solution to drug-related incidents in our communities, and we continue to work with our combatting drugs partnership to reduce these associated harms.”

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to tackling this form of criminality which often preys upon the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

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