Officer uses fast-acting drug to save man

PC Kirstie Brooks administered naloxone to a man who was unresponsive in Wolverhampton

A Wolverhampton police officer is thought to be the first in the city to administer a fast-acting drug which helps people experiencing an overdose.

PC Kirstie Brooks used naloxone on a man who was found unresponsive in the city centre. Thanks to the drug, he awoke, and was treated by paramedics, West Midlands Police said.

Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, and dozens of Wolverhampton officers have been trained in administering it.

"I do believe that if I had not used this spray the outcome for this man could have been very different," she said.

The ongoing programme, funded by the police and crime commissioner, sees officers in the city trained by local treatment centre, Recovery Near You.

Recalling the incident, PC Brooks said she found the man on his back, with shallow breathing.

After putting him in the recovery position, she sprayed the naloxone up his nose.

"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," she said.

"I had done it correctly, and although he was still a bit wobbly it was such a relief.

"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."

Once trained, officers carry the spray in their belts.

"The circumstances of this case illustrate the importance of naloxone and the positive impact it can have on the streets," said police and crime commissioner Simon Foster.

He added that naloxone training had been expanded to 280 officers in the region.