A life-saving spray which reverses the effect of opioid drug overdoses has been used by North Yorkshire Police “a lot more” than expected, the force said. Since introducing it in April 2024, 337 police officers and police community support officers have been trained to use and carry naloxone in the county. It has been used 37 times, officers said, with 17 incidents recorded where a drug-user’s life was saved or their health improved, according to force harm reduction officer Danny Stannard.

Distribution through drug services has been prevalent since 2015, following a change in the legislation to allow the supply without prescription to people at risk of opioid overdose or those who may witness one without a prescription However, distribution through hospitals, either on a prescription at discharge or under the amended legislation, has been limited. Nevertheless, we know that many people who use drugs (PWUDs) use hospitals for both planned and unplanned admissions. This is a missed opportunity, particularly for PWUDs who may not be engaged with structured drug treatment.

A door supervisor has said a life-saving drug should be carried as standard by security staff, after he helped a man during an overdose. Charlie Smith used a syringe filled with naloxone to reverse the effects of a drug overdose while working in Sheffield earlier this year. The 24-year-old said he was “terrified” when the man collapsed in a doorway on Division Street – but he was able to administer the drug thanks to training.

Now 32 forces either carry naloxone or are in a pilot phase, and a further 12 have agreed to pilot or fully roll out its use. Some 20,000 police officers now carry naloxone. Nationwide, police officers have used naloxone 1,232 times from June 2019 to December 2024. South Wales police officers have used it 134 times in situations they deemed life-threatening. But there are two police forces holding out: Suffolk and Greater Manchester. Big Issue asked them why.

Turning Point Leicestershire’s Substance Use service have been shortlisted for a national award, after introducing a lifesaving initiative that allows for front-line police officers in Leicestershire to carry and administer naloxone, an antidote that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. The city council’s public health team worked in partnership with the police and local drug and alcohol treatment service Turning Point to develop the initiative, which has potentially already saved 14 lives in its first 12 months of operation.