Police dispense 14 Naloxone doses since May, testing field pouches

The Police Services Board in Waterloo region reports that officers have administered Naloxone 14 times since front line officers and special units began carrying nasal spray dosesin May this year all 14 "reviving the person experiencing the overdose."

Pat Dietrich, superintendent of investigative services at Waterloo Regional Police, told CBC News the number was surprising.

"When we originally issued them, we weren't sure how often officers would actually make use of the Naloxonebecause EMS are often on scene when we get there already," he said.

• 6 naloxone doses administered since launch of police program in May

Police have been tracking overall Naloxone deployment numbers for cases that involve calls for service. Since May this year, Naloxone was given 72 times by police, EMS (ambulance) and "other."

Dietrich said "other" includes people in the community who carry Naloxone, and can administer it to someone suffering an overdose while they wait for emergency responders to arrive.

However, sometimes calls for service are not made, and police do not have Naloxone deployment numbers for those cases.

Opioid task force 'positive step'

There have been 45suspected fatal opioid-relatedoverdoses in Waterloo region as of the end of September, in comparison to last year's total of 38.

The province announced on Wednesday it will form an opioid task force to address the ongoing crisis. The announcement follows one made in late August, where the province committed $222 million over three years to fund addictions treatment and increasing front-line harm-reduction outreach workers, among other things.

• Health workers question $222 million opioid funding distribution

Michael Parkinson, community engagement coordinator with Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, said "it's a very positive step" towards fighting the crisis.

However, he thinks it'll take more than one level of government to solve the problem.

"This crisis has been unfolding for more than a decade," he said, "There are a lot of hands that got us into this mess, it's not one level of government, it'll take a lot of hands to pull us out of this mess."

Equipment testing

Currently, regional police arelooking to equip auxiliary officers with Naloxone, but before that happens, they want to resolve minor concerns with the carrying pouch.

Dietrich said they've received feedback on the pouches from officers, and they are piloting three alternatives to look for one that "protects the product better and is a little more convenient and more accessible for [police officers]."

The piloting process will take about four to six weeks, according to Dietrich. Auxiliary officers may be equipped with Naloxone in several months.

Dietrich is careful to say that the pilot process is "not impeding in any way our deployment of the Naloxone" for frontline officers.