Beat cops could save lives as Luton’s drug deaths reach record high

The figures were announced as Bedfordshire Police launched its own campaign to save the lives of people who are suffering an opiate overdose.

Data from the Office for National Statistics show 21 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in Luton in 2021, up from 16 the previous year, and the highest number since records began in 1993.

They were among 4,859 drug poisoning deaths registered across England and Wales last year – the ninth consecutive rise and also a record.

The figures cover drug abuse and dependence, fatal accidents, suicides and complications involving controlled and non-controlled drugs, prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Of the drug deaths recorded nationally last year, 3,060 (63%) were due to misuse, meaning they involved illegal drugs, or were a result of drug abuse or dependence – including 10 in Luton.

But now police across Bedfordshire are to be equipped with a life-saving nasal spray which could help save the lives of people suffering an opiate overdose.

Funded by the Drug and Alcohol public health teams at Luton Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough Councils, the rollout will see 40 frontline officers carrying nasal Naloxone – a medication which, if used quickly, can reverse the impact of an opiate overdose and allow time for paramedics to arrive.

The initiative will be trialled by officers in Bedfordshire Police’s frontline response and community teams for two years, and it is hoped that a successful trial period will lead to it becoming a permanent addition to officers’ equipment.

In 2021 the Public Heath Teams received grant funding from the Home Office and the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) to improve access to drug and alcohol treatment and support. The teams have worked closely with Bedfordshire Police and the local drug and alcohol services to implement the pilot, part of a wider initiative to deliver reductions in the rate of drug-related deaths, drug-related offending and increase access to support for those who need it.

Detective Chief Inspector Dani Bailey, Bedfordshire Police’s drugs lead, said: “There is no doubt that lives will be saved from this initiative. Our officers are often among the first to arrive on the scene of a medical emergency, and the rollout means that they will be even better prepared to potentially save someone’s life.”

Sally Cartwright, Director of Public Health for Luton Council, said “We welcome the introduction of this potentially lifesaving measure which will help protect some of our most vulnerable people at times of crisis. This is a great example of successful partnership working between the police and local councils.”

Vicky Head, Director of Public Health for Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Councils, said: “We are working in partnership locally to reduce the serious harms caused by drugs. Increasing access to the lifesaving medication Naloxone is an essential part of our local approach, along with wider work to reduce drug-related deaths and offending and ensure those who need it are able to access support.”

“The local Drug and Alcohol Services - Path to Recovery and Resolutions - have delivered Naloxone training to police officers and are on hand to offer specialist advice and support throughout the roll out of this initiative”.

The ONS said the overall rising trend over the past decade has been driven primarily by deaths involving opiates, but also those involving other substances such as cocaine.

Just under half of the drug deaths registered across England and Wales last year involved an opiate.

The ONS figures show that the age standardised mortality rate – which accounts for age and population size – stood at 7 deaths per 100,000 people in Luton between 2019 and 2021, below the rate for England, of 7.9.