Research and analysis

Police carriage of naloxone: process evaluation

This report presents the findings from the process evaluation of police officers carrying naloxone to reverse drug overdoses.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Details

Naloxone is a life-saving drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can help prevent subsequent overdose deaths. Effective harm reduction requires the provision of naloxone to those who may be first responders at the scene of an overdose including police officers.

The Home Office commissioned Ipsos UK to evaluate police carriage of naloxone in England and Wales to understand the barriers and implementation and identify best practices through case studies. This research involved in-depth interviews with the police, NHS stakeholders and paramedics.

Updates to this page

Published 9 May 2025
Last updated 24 September 2025 show all updates
  1. Minor amendments were made to Table 1, Section 2.5, Section 3.3, and Section 4.2 to clarify the naloxone provision status in Lancashire and correct inaccuracies in reporting. These changes reflect that no officers were carrying naloxone at the time of the research.

  2. First published.

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