Nottinghamshire Police have saved seven lives using overdose reversal kits
Nottinghamshire Police officers have saved seven lives since rolling out a life-saving drug which can help those who have overdosed on drugs such as heroin.
To date, 418 Nottinghamshire officers (including PCSOs) have been trained on how to use a nasal spray version of Naloxone, called Nyxoid.
Naloxone works by temporarily reversing the effects of opioid/opiate drugs, if someone has overdosed, by reversing the depression of the central nervous and respiratory systems, potentially helping to prevent a casualty from dying and buying them crucial time until paramedics arrive.
Trained officers are now voluntarily carrying this medication as part of their standard issue equipment as they carry out their duties.
As part of the force’s roll-out to date, 293 Nyxoid kits have been issued to frontline officers, including neighbourhood PCs and those who respond to 999 calls.
Kits have been funded by Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Public Health, with each kit containing two sprays as well as harm reduction advice for those treated.
The drug was successfully deployed for the first time a few days after it was introduced in November 2024 when a member of the public reported to the Radford Road counter that someone had overdosed in a nearby street.
After a quick-thinking officer used the Nyxoid spray, the patient was taken to hospital and later discharged himself and was offered pathway into treatment.
Since then, Nottinghamshire has continued with a phased roll-out of kits and officer training, with the current phase being focused on neighbourhood policing teams and specialist teams that are likely to come into contact with class A drug users on a regular basis.
Det Insp Richard Guy, of Nottinghamshire Police’s drug and substance interventions team, said: “The preservation of life is at the very heart of our officers’ duties.
“Our ongoing roll-out of Naloxone will help us to prevent overdoses and save even more lives.
“In Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, we are facing a significant issue of drug-related deaths relating to drug use.
"The deployment of Naloxone to the front line has come as a result of some excellent partnership work and work being undertaken by the Combating Drugs Partnership.
"I'd also like to thank our public health partners, Change Grow Live, Nottingham Recovery Network, and The Health Shop for collaborating on this project."
Sgt Graham Whitt, of Nottinghamshire Police’s drugs and substance interventions team, added: “Once trained, officers can carry the spray on their utility belts and use it to potentially save lives.
"It’s so quick and it means officers and then paramedics can deal with overdoses really effectively.
“The drugs and harm reduction training we’ve delivered to our neighbourhood officers over the last few months, delivered in partnership with Nottingham Recovery Network, has involved a series of inputs including addiction awareness and making referrals to drug and alcohol treatment providers.
“A lived experience input has also been provided to our officers, to help increase their understanding and awareness, as well as additional training.
“Over the coming months we will be monitoring and reviewing our use of Naloxone, with a view to training up more of our officers.”