Manchester police 'encouraged' to give officers life-saving naloxone after Big Issue reporting

Kate Green, Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor, is “encouraging” Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to give officers naloxone, a life-saving drug which reverses opioid overdoses, after Big Issue reporting raised the issue.

An MP in Suffolk has also raised “alarm” that officers in the county don’t carry the kit, while an MP in Manchester has asked the Home Office for answers on what it’s doing about the situation.

Just two police forces – GMP and Suffolk Constabulary – in the country do not give officers the choice to carry naloxone, a life-saving drug which can reverse opioid overdoses, Big Issue has reported.

Read more:

• The inside story of nitazenes and the drug deaths crisis rocking Britain: ‘No one is talking about it’
• My son died after taking deadly nitazenes, aged 33. Why did nobody save his life?
• Pressure grows on police forces to reverse their refusal to equip officers with life-saving naloxone

With drug deaths at record levels, and a new threat from synthetic opioids claiming hundreds of lives, local authorities including police forces have been told to prepare to prevent deaths. The Home Office, the Police Federation, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council all back giving officers the choice to carry naloxone.

But not all forces do, which means anybody who accidentally overdoses on contaminated drugs faces a lottery over whether police officers – often the first on the scene – are able to carry the drug which ccould save their life. 

Big Issue has been examining why this lottery exists – what the objections are, whether the barriers stand up to scrutiny, and what pressure is being applied.

After our initial report, Greater Manchester deputy mayor Green said she would review the evidence – Green’s office now tell us she has done so and say she’s encouraging the force to change its stance.

GMP publicly promised a trial of naloxone in 2024 – but the force has now confirmed this did not go ahead, with GMP simply saying it “remains under review”.

“The deputy mayor has carefully examined the evidence and encourages GMP to allow its officers to carry naloxone,” said a Greater Manchester Combined Authority spokesperson.

“She is aware GMP is considering a number of factors in relation to this, and recognises it is an operational decision for them to take. She remains in dialogue with the chief constable, the Home Office, the NPCC and other stakeholders about the matter.”

A GMP spokesperson told Big Issue that decision of whether allowing front-line police officers to carry naloxone was “complex” and the force is working on a national review to assess it.

“One of the core fundamentals of policing is to protect and preserve life. Our officers regularly come into contact with the most vulnerable in society and are well-trained to a national standard to provide life-saving treatment to those in need,” the spokesperson said.

“We recognise the benefits of naloxone which is why specialist medical professionals based at each of our eight custody sites across GM have the treatment available for them to give to those who need it.

“The decision for front-line officers to carry naloxone, however, is a complex one. We work closely alongside partners in GM to ensure the right agency provides the right treatment to people who need our care, and we are clear on the key role policing plays in this.

“We’re working with relevant partners and experts across policing and health to lead a national review of the findings elsewhere, and to understand the risks and implications for our officers, to ensure there is clarity that officers are not expected to carry out the work of medical specialists.

“Our clinical governance board and health and safety team continue to monitor this closely and with care.”

MPs continue to demand answers after Big Issue reporting

Navendu Mishra, the Labour MP for Stockport, has asked the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss with GMP the impact of not suppling officers with naloxone – but at the time of writing an answer from Cooper was overdue.

Synthetic opioids, such as nitazenes, can be 500 times stronger than heroin, and unwittingly cause fatal overdoses after being mixed into street drugs such as heroin and valium.

Both Suffolk and GMP make naloxone available in custody suites, after somebody has been arrested, but not to frontline officers.

Peter Furlong, the national harm reduction lead of drug charity Change Grow Live (CGL), urged officers to work with the charity to make naloxone available.

“I would just ask anyone to talk to us and we can work with them. We’ll train people, we’ll look at procurement of actual naloxone if that’s an issue,” said Furlong.

Furlong added that CGL works with over a dozen police forces to train officers to carry naloxone, and that training could take around 90 minutes. A change to the law at the end of 2024 has made it possible for police forces to obtain their own naloxone, rather than needing somebody else to procure it.

“It’s a simple act that sends a powerful message and saves lives, that police aren’t just there for law enforcement,” said Furlong.

Jess Asato, the Labour MP for Lowestoft in Sussex, told Big Issue: “I am alarmed to hear that Suffolk Police is one of only two forces not to provide this life-saving drug and I have written to our police and crime commissioner to understand why it hasn’t been rolled out.”

The decision to carry naloxone is reviewed by Suffolk Constabulary’s bosses on a six-monthly basis, a response from the office of the Suffolk police and crime commissioner to Peter Prinsley MP, seen by Big Issue, has revealed. The response also revealed there have been three drug deaths linked to “synthetic drugs”, such as nitazenes, in Suffolk since June 2024.

What are the objections to naloxone?

Neither Greater Manchester nor Suffolk have explained in specific detail the reasons for their decisions.

The Police Federation, which represents frontline police officers, supports officers to carry naloxone where a clear need is identified. But Simon Kempton, the Police Federation of England and Wales’ (PFEW) operational lead, explained the federation was “deeply concerned” at the prospect of police being sent in place of ambulance crews. “There need to be firm agreements in place that clarify roles and responsibilities so the right people respond,” Kempton told Big Issue.

“If officers are trained and equipped with naloxone, the danger is they get pulled further into the space of health professionals – being sent out to overdoses proactively, which we’re already seeing in other areas of policing,” Kempton added.

He identified cases where police officers were being sent to “hold the fort” on cardiac arrests, saying there had been incidents of this happening for several hours.

Kempton also warned a naloxone rollout could lead to ambulance calls being downgraded. Both North West Ambulance Service, which covers Greater Manchester, and East of England Ambulance Service, which covers Suffolk, told Big Issue calls would not be downgraded if police used naloxone.

Kempton also raised concerns over that officers could face professional repercussions from carrying naloxone. The Police Federation said it had seen legal advice that an investigation could be triggered if an officer carrying naloxone got sent to a person overdosing who then died, even if they did not use the naloxone. 

“We need clear guidance on training, storage, clinical oversight, and data monitoring— this still hasn’t been delivered,” Kempton said. “We urgently need a proper framework to ensure that if officers do carry naloxone, they’re properly trained, protected, and supported.

He added: “This isn’t about blocking progress; it’s about making sure that officers aren’t put at risk professionally, legally, or emotionally without the proper structures in place.”

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