'Miracle' spray to be carried by North Wales police officers to prevent drugs deaths

According to North Wales Police, nobody will be forced to carry or use the Naloxone spray but there was “no shortage” of volunteers who wanted to participate.

It has been piloted in Flintshire after 21 people died drug-related deaths in two years - more than a a fifth of the North Wales total.

Officers use personal protective equipment and facemasks if they need to administer it.

Police crime commissioner Naloxone; Picture Mandy Jones

The spray can be used to treat overdoses of drugs including heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers.

Outgoing North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, a long-time drug reform campaigner, said the reason he was so passionate about the rollout was that the UK already had more drug deaths than anywhere else in Europe.

The Covid-19 pandemic had made the situation even more urgent because people with problematic drugs use were going to be taking more dangerous alternatives if their drug of choice was in short supply.

Flintshire saw 21 deaths due to drugs in the most recent two-year period, from 2016-2018, more than a fifth of the North Wales total.

The first life saved in the trial happened a month earlier when another of the volunteer team, Sergeant Gill Roberts, based in Mold, was called to a hotel car park by officers who had found a man unconscious.

Sergeant Roberts, a policewoman for 23 years, said: “A firearms unit had found a man lying in the car park of the Holiday Inn in Northop after his family reported him missing with concerns around his mental health.

Within 30 seconds after she used the spray, he regained consciousness and was taken to hospital.

The Commissioner, a former police inspector, said: “My vision had always been to rollout out this initiative across North Wales.

“Seeing this happen is one of my proudest moments during my term of office.

“Naloxone has already saved two lives in North Wales and it will now save many more lives in future.

“That’s incredibly important because the first principle of policing is that we’re there to save lives and protect people. It’s part of our core business.

Inspector Iwan Jones said: “Getting the naloxone spray gives us something we can use to prevent a death.

“It’s a simple nasal spray, there’s no injections involved, and the officers have all undergone training in its use. It’s something we’ve all volunteered to do.

“The victim probably won’t be breathing and you simply put it into the nose and spray and it works virtually instantly, in two or three minutes.”

Deputy Chief Constable Richard Debicki added: “The pilot in Flintshire has captured the attention of not only the UK media but also of other forces."