Police officer recalls moment she used life-saving drug on collapsed man in Wolverhampton

PC Kirstie Brooks is thought to be the first in Wolverhampton to use the life-saving nasal spray naloxone, which helps to recover from the potentially deadly effects of drug overdose.

PC Brooks has served with the West Midlands Police for 28 years and is one of several officers in the city to have been trained to use the spray.

In late July, a month after her training, the officer needed the naloxone on a man who was found unconscious near a fast-food outlet.

"The man was on his back, not responding, so I checked his airwaves and placed him in the recovery position, as we'd been shown, but his breathing was very shallow and his lips were pale," she recalled.

"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."

The officer was then able to leave the man in the care of paramedic officers, who made sure all the necessary checks were completed and the treatment was successful.

The spray is increasingly being used by police forces across the country to give their frontline officers the ability to administer a vital lifeline to those who have overdosed.

She 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."

Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, praised the officers, saying that her 'quick-thinking actions' potentially saved the man's life.

Simon Foster 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 deliver on my pledge to reduce avoidable deaths from drug misuse right across the region.”