POLICE are going to be trained how to give a life-saving drug to heroin users in case they overdose while in custody.

Durham Police is going to be one of the first force’s in the country to introduce naloxone, an emergency antidote to overdoses caused by heroin, and other opiates such as methadone, morphine and fentanyl, in its custody suites.

Inspector Jason Meecham, who runs the custody suites, said: “Many of the individuals who we care for in custody throughout County Durham and Darlington unfortunately suffer from problematic drug issues.

“These frequently relate to opiate use, which on occasion results in our NHS colleagues using naloxone when detainees experience an overdose.

“The new training would enable our custody officers to inject naloxone in emergencies, when someone who has taken an overdose of opiates is in custody and their life is at risk. They would still need specialist medical aftercare, but it would provide an additional opportunity to save someone’s life.”

Officers are being trained to enable the introduction of the drug into custody suites later this year.

The plans were announced yesterday, coinciding with new figures which show the rates of drug related deaths in the North-East are the highest in England and Wales.

The mortality rate in the North-East has increased by 7.5 per cent since 2016, to 83.2 deaths per one million population, compared to 42.7 deaths per million population in England.

There were 794 drug related deaths in the North-East between 2015 and 2017, with 140 in County Durham.

Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg said: “I am really disappointed to see the new figures today. They are a true reflection of a drug policy that isn’t working. Drug users should be able to seek medical treatment without fear of being criminalised. I have called on the Government to review the current UK drug policy, as it urgently needs to do more to save lives and reduce drug related-harm.”

He added: “The plans to introduce of naloxone in Durham are part of the sensible, radical approach which we are taking to reduce harm and save the lives of drug users.”