Every front line RCMP officer in Manitoba has been equipped with a naloxone kit to help them assist anyone who has come into contact with an opioid. Naloxone is a tool police have to help in some situations, but the reality is that opioids can be fatal quickly.
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.
“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.”
In Manitoba, 1010 kits have been distributed to RCMP officers. The Naloxone provided to officers is in a nasal spray that can quickly be administered by an officer if contact with or use of an opioid is suspected.
Like many other controlled substances, fentanyl is present throughout the province. The RCMP in Manitoba has not responded to any medical emergency incidents involving fentanyl, but are aware that it is creeping into urban centres and rural communities policed by the RCMP.
“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.”
