London (Parliament News) – In Devon, a man’s death is linked to a potent heroin batch, causing eight hospitalizations. Police warn residents and work with health partners to contain the issue.
In north Devon, an “unusually strong batch” of heroin is responsible for the death of a man and the hospitalization of eight others, the police said. Four people were apprehended on suspicion of being implicated in the supply of an illegal substance.
How Did Police Respond to the Heroin Incident?
According to the Guardian, Devon and Cornwall police said eight people were ministered in hospital after they considered they had used some of the exact batches across Westward Ho!, Bideford and Barnstaple.
Emergency service partners announced a major incident on Friday evening after police became familiar at about 5 pm that the batch was spreading in the area. The alert was withdrawn on Saturday morning, with police stating the issue was believed to have been “contained”.
What Measures Were Taken to Contain the Situation?
The North and West Devon local police area commander, Supt Toby Davies, stated: “As soon as we were made aware of the problem this substance was likely to cause on Friday evening, we did everything feasible partners to reach out to the drug-using residents to warn them of the potential danger they were facing.
“We continue to work with health partners to caution those who may be substance users to exercise severe caution. However, we would comfort the community we believe this is now contained. If anyone fears they are in trouble or are in the company of someone suffering a medical outbreak, we would request they contact 999 to seek appropriate medical help.”
What Are the Potential Risks to Drug Users?
André Gomes, the communications lead at Release, the UK’s national centre of expertise on drugs and drug law, stated: “We’ve been upset with the increasing number of reports on dangerous batches of heroin. We are failing to recognise the changing landscape of drug stockpiles in the UK and Europe, and unless we minister it like the public health crisis it is, scale up harm decrease responses and recognise that criminalising people who utilise drugs deters them from emergency and help services, more deaths are inevitable.”
Gomes called for decriminalisation “to assure that we have the resources, tools and political support to maintain people safe and prevent further tragedies”. Stats from the Office for National Statistics indicate there were 4,907 casualties related to drug poisoning reported in England and Wales in 2022, the latest year for which statistics are known– the most elevated number since records began in 1993.
Drugs were involved in just under half (46.1%) of drug poisoning casualties registered that year, rising to 61.7% when deaths that had no drug type registered on the death certificate were excluded. Synthetic opioids have become a growing cause of concern in the UK. National Crime Agency figures unleashed to the Guardian in January revealed 65 people had died from taking drugs contaminated with nitazenes – a toxic synthetic opioid – in the previous six months. Nitazenes are up to 100 times more potent than heroin.