With Manitoba police on the front line of the opioid crisis the RCMP have taken a proactive step and armed all front line officers with the life saving drug Naloxone.
The drug has proven to be helpful in reducing the effects of opioid overdose.
RCMP officers have been given the nasal spray version of the drug to help in situations where they suspect opioid use.
Opioids, such as fentanyl or Carfentanil are highly toxic and even a small dose can prove to be fatal.
“The safety of Manitobans and of our police officers is first and foremost,” said Chief Superintendent Mark Fisher, Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations for the RCMP in Manitoba. “Equipping RCMP officers with naloxone kits is a public safety measure and was a priority for this division.”
As a growing public health crisis, the increasing use of synthetic opioids is putting Manitobans at risk of overdose, and citizens and first responders increasingly at risk from inadvertent contact with these potentially fatal drugs.
1010 Naloxone kits have been distributed among the RCMP ranks in Manitoba. The nasal spray can be quickly administered by an officer in the field
“We are very aware of the presence of fentanyl in Manitoba communities, and we are prepared for the enforcement piece of this puzzle,” said Corporal Scott Hanson, head of “D” Division’s synthetic drug operations. “However, we cannot arrest our way out of this issue. We are also focussing on the prevention, education and harm reduction elements related to the use of fentanyl.”
-News4 Staff-
