Police Scotland begins roll-out of Naloxone to operational officers

Initially, officers in Paisley, Greenock and Shetland will be receiving their kits.

Around 150 pouches are being distributed in the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde and Highland and Islands divisions, following a decision earlier this year to train and equip all operational officers up to and including the rank of police inspector.

Police Scotland said the officers will undertake online training before beginning to carry the first aid equipment as they go about their duties.

They are the first in Scotland, outside the original test-bed areas, to receive their personal issue kits, containing single use intra-nasal sprays, meaning nearly 1,000 officers will have this additional tool to hand day-to-day.

Training and issuing of kit across the country and the organisation will continue to all operational officers throughout 2022 and is expected to be completed early in 2023, said Police Scotland.

Naloxone is an emergency first aid treatment for use in a potentially life-threatening overdose situation. It works by reversing the respiratory suppression caused by opioids/opiates and can buy the casualty critical minutes until ambulance clinicians arrive on scene.

The Naloxone being carried by Police Scotland officers will be administered via a single use intra-nasal spray device. Officers already undertake in-depth first aid training. and the carriage and administration of Naloxone by an officer is an extension of their first aid skills, said the force.

Since 2005, Naloxone has been on a list of medications which anyone can legally administer in an emergency to save a life (contained within the Human Medicine Regulations 2012).

Police Scotland piloted the carriage and use of Naloxone by its officers last year as part of a public health approach to addressing the country’s drug death rates.

“Since officers in four areas (Falkirk, Grangemouth and Stirling; Dundee City; Glasgow East; and Caithness, and local custody suites) began carrying the intra-nasal sprays, Naloxone has been administered at least 80 times to date, with positive outcomes on all but two occasions,” said Police Scotland.

“The circumstances leading to Naloxone administrations by police have been varied, and have included incidents where officers have discovered unconscious casualties during patrols, or being alerted to an overdose by a member of the public.

“Other incidents have involved people in police custody, during police public order incidents and the execution of a search warrant. Naloxone has also been administered to people intending to complete suicide.”

In 2021, there were 1,330 drug-related deaths in Scotland, a drop of one per cent on the previous year – a reduction of nine deaths – which reflected the first time since 2013 there has been a recorded decrease. However, the figure remains the second highest annual total, and Scotland has the highest drug-related deaths rate in Europe, with a rate 3.7 times higher than the UK average.

Police Scotland said its work to introduce Naloxone as part of standard issue kit to its officers has been supported by the Scottish government, as well as a range of key stakeholders.