Police link nearly 40 overdose calls in 24 hours to toxic drugs allegedly being handed out
CBC
Emergency crews in London responded to 39 overdose-related calls in 24 hours, police announced Thursday, one day after first alerting the public of toxic drugs being distributed downtown.
The calls came in between 8 a.m. on Wednesday and 8 a.m. on Thursday mornings, with police saying several people required medical attention, and a toxic supply of illegal substances likely continues to circulate.
Police announced Wednesday they were looking for a person reported to be driving around the core and allegedly handing out drugs for free.
Police said in a new statement Thursday, they have received a number of reports and tips and are working to verify and assess information with investigators.
"It's really alarming," said Lily Bialas, interim director of harm reduction at Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, which runs London's only supervised consumption site, Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Services.
"We're obviously concerned for community members and for the safety of people who are using substances in the community," she said.
Carepoint did not see overdoses at their site, Bialas said, but sent out a drug advisory to alert the community and community partners once reports were confirmed.
"We're able to spread information out there around the trends really quickly," she said.
"We need harm reduction services in order to provide people with timely, accurate information about those trends and education related to things like overdose prevention."
Bialas said people who use drugs can bring their substances to be tested on site with a Scatr machine at Carepoint, with test strips also available.
Police urged the public to be aware of the serious risks associated with the use of illegal drugs. People should exercise caution, avoid using alone, have naloxone available and call 9-1-1 if an overdose is suspected, officials said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and has been assigned to the LPS Criminal Investigation Division.They are are asking anything with information of video footage related to the incident that could assist with the investigation to contact London Police Service at (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent in online anonymously to London Middlesex Crime Stoppers.
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