The Kamloops Customer Care and Patrol (CAP) Team was kept busy in 2018 with drug related calls.

CAP Team Supervisor Alexis Proulx says they picked up 1,167 drug needles in the city, and 630 drug cooking spoons.

“It’s not something that we’re seeing all the time. We don’t see it all day,” she said. “Typically, what we’re seeing is a lot more of the paraphernalia instead of the needles, so the things that might pose a risk.”

“We are happier to see that on the streets, you know there’s saline that’s given out, and we see that quite a bit.”

Proulx says on two occasions they helped save someone’s life – once by administering naloxone and the other time by performing CPR.

She admits calls like that can take a toll on their members.

“We are very fortunate that that was the one case that it’s happened,” she said. “We are really happy that we had the training necessary. In the past two years, we’ve gone from a one day first aid to a two day course.”

“Canadian Mental Health Association this year was really great to work with to get us our mental health first aid, so we’re excited to be able to learn different techniques to learn people.”

Other calls of note included 1,183 calls to pick up tin foil and 38 calls to pick up naloxone kits.