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HB NEWS PANDEMIC MADE A BAD SITUATION WORSE: POLICE Continued from page 1 across the country and province is reflected here locally. I think there's a lot of misconceptions that somehow Halton has petter protective factors against pacts of overdoses, and that's; just but that is not enough to insulate us." She said the HRPS drug and human trafficking unit "contin- ues to disrupt the flow of illicit throughout and within our region,” including the large: izure in the history of a local force last Augus' Earlier in 2021, eee alsocon- cluded a seven-month investiga- tion dubbed Project Lynx, which centred around a sophisticated drug ti network police say was responsible for supply- One of the individuals arrest- ed was sentenced in January to13 years and 222 days for Possession for the purpose of trafficking fen- tanyl, along with a 10-year con- current sentence on two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine. HRPS Deputy Chief of Region- al Operations Jeff Hill said this sentencing "sends a strong mes- sage that those who put some of our most vulnerable community members at risk will be held ac- countable." "This type of activity will nev- er be tolerated in our community and our members will remain re- ientless in battling the ongoing opioid crisis and bringing those involved in trafficking to prose- cution." While the reasons behind drug use are always complex, includ- ing Pt rauma | and retain healt qeae ‘ee o boctuly Seat ed" an. alrealy haces situation, with in 2021, said Hartman, with police responding to 73 suspected poisonings in January and Feb- ruary alone, 11 of which were fa- tal. “We're seeing a significant up- wards trend in thenumber of sus- pected overdoses that our offi- cers are attending," she said. Of those calls police respond- ed to in 2021, at least a third of them were known to involve the powerful opioid fentanyl, ex- plain: ‘tman, while non- opioid calls can be related to sub- stances such as methamphet- amine, prescription drugs, etc. "A lot of overdoses are acci- dental because they consumed something that was cut with fen- tanyl ini they just didn't know, and lon't necessarily have naloxone on hand," said Hart- with fentanyl being the sub- ea - Metroland file photo The use of naloxone has been a big help in preventing fatal outcomes when it comes to opioid overdoses. Police reported a 52 per cent increase between 2020 and 2021 in naloxone being administered by officers. In a positive note, Hartman said there's also been a huge in- crease in the number of bystand- ers intervening in overdose situa- tions with naloxone. Police docu- mented 65 such occurrences in 2021. "If that hadn't happened, we would have had well in excess of 100 fatalities last year," she said. "We continue to encourage mem- bers of the community to carry naloxone if they or someone they know uses drugs. Its easy to ac- cess and easy to " The devas wastating | impact fenta- stance most likely t« in an overdose situation, Galton police have been carrying nalox- one, which reverses or blocks the effects of opioids, since 2016 when it was first deployed to special- ved units. By 2018, naloxone was vided to every frontline offi- cer as the number of overdoses locally continued to rise. nyl their r loved ones is felt by many in munit Kathleen and Steve Boose of Georgetown. Their youngest son has been dealing with his addiction for many years while also being in and out of jail — a vicious cycle that's so hard to break. His plight, which has threat- ened to tear the family apart, was the inspiration behind the cou- ple's 2019 support workshop geared to family and friends of addicts. From there, they started. both in person and online. "It (the meetings) has been a lifesaver for us well," said Kathleen. "It's a ‘heartbreaking spot to be in, to have a loved one addicted to opiates." The local mom also belongs to a group called Mothers top the Harm, which st quantities to make it easier for an addict to reach out for help. According to Hartman, help- ing those with addictions is also the goal of Halton police. le officers have attended over 600 suspected drug overdos- es in the past two years, she said no simple possession charges were laid at any of those calls. "It's just not what we're there for. We want people to call 911 be- cause our officers carry nalox- one," she said. "All we want todo is save a life, that is Police encourage “those who use drugs to never do so alone, but if they do, to download the Brave app, which connects those at risk of an overdose with the help they need. Local residents ‘ged to contact emer- gency ‘services if they see some- one in distress from a potential overdose, with the Good Samari- tans Act offering broad protec- Hons fe for those who make the call. Halton Regional Police service remains committed to taking a harm reduction ap- HALTON SUPPORT PROGRAI « Support House: 1-833-845-WELL (9355), supporthouse.ca «Halton ADAPT: 1-855-211-0898, haltonadapt.org, + Local Nar-Anon groups: naranonontario.com * One-Link: 1-844-216-7411, one-link.ca “Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST): 1-877-825-9011 Distress Centre Halton: Oakville — 905-849-4541, Burlington — 905-681-1488, Halton Hills — 905-877-1211. + Brave app: brave.coop/besafe proach to this crisis, knowing that every overdose is prevent- able," said Hartman. he noted that police also want to keep the conversation go- ing on the topic to help remove the stigma around drugs and drug use. “We want everyone to support people who use drugs — that's ac- tually what they need, "she said. the The sentiment was echoed by Steve Boose. "There are a lot of people out there who think bared (addicts) evil. But it's a much greyer sit situation," he loved one. They've lost their way, but there are those who want them back." STORY BEHIND THE STO- RY: With the pandemic only mak- ing the overdose crisis worse across the country, we wanted to take a closer look at the current situation in Halton and what's being done to address the serious issue. Real Estate Sales Representatives Your Area Experts 20+ Years Experience > oe HOMELIFE HIGHER STANDARDS HomeLife Response Realty Inc., Brokerage Independently Owned and Operated INH UONEH - dl UL | 2 4 Fy zZ a iy 2 = a 3 $ S 8 8