Police trained to save lives of drug addicts with anti-overdose medicine
Police officers in the Black Country are being trained to save the lives of drug addicts as the region battles surging crime rates.
A new £15,000 scheme will see officers in Dudley as well as Soilhull trained in administering the drug overdose antidote Naloxone.
Officials say police officers carrying Naloxone can feel reassured they have a "magic formula" to save the lives of overdosing drug addicts.
It comes as crime in the West Midlands continues to increase at a higher rate than anywhere else in the country, with weapons possession, violence and drug offences all surging according to official figures.
The scheme was first rolled out in the region in 2019. Across Birmingham, Sandwell and Walsall more than 150 officers currently carry the spray on the beat.
The drugs lead for West Midlands Police, Superintendent Jane Bailey, said the rapid roll out of the scheme was "all part of our ongoing commitment to reduce drug-related deaths and save lives".
"And in addition, we continue to signpost people to get support from our specialist drug agency colleagues to help them turn their lives around," she added.
Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Tom McNeil, said: “Officers carrying Naloxone out on the beat can feel reassured they have a magic formula on them that has the power to prevent death.
“A person overdosing is someone’s family member, friend, or partner and every death is a tragedy. Naloxone helps us prevent this avoidable human loss."
He added that the scheme would free up officers so they could spend "more time tackling crime".
Naloxone reverses the effect that drugs such as heroin, morphine and fentanyl can have on a person's breathing.
The force said it was recently used to revive a woman who had collapsed in West Bromwich after taking an overdose.
