Caithness officers to carry emergency drug overdose spray
The naloxone training is part of a pilot project Police Scotland are running across the country
A pilot project will see Caithness Police officers carrying an emergency treatment for helping drug overdoses.
Officers have been receiving training this week on how to administer the naloxone nasal spray, which counters overdose effects from opioids.
It's part of a trial being run by Police Scotland, which has also seen officers from Glasgow, Dundee and Falkirk being trained to use the spray as part of an emergency first aid response.
Officers do not have to carry naloxone, but so far around 80% of officers trained in Caithness will have it with them.
Caithness no different from the rest of Scotland on drug issues
Operational Superintendent for the Highland and Islands, Maggie Pettigrew, explained why the trial is being run in the far North.
She said: "We’ve are dealing with drug addiction and drug deaths on a regular basis, Caithness is no different.
"Our officers are late for training today because they’re dealing with two overdoses.
"The drug is safe to use and safe to administer, they know of other officers who have used it to good effect.
"If it’s seen to go well then it would be considered as a first aid tool for all officers, but we’d have to evaluate the pilot.
"One of our primary functions is to save lives so if we can furnish them with the tools to assist them with that, then they’re keen to know about it.
"Officers who are carrying it will carry it in a really visual manner, ‘naloxone’ will be written on it in red and white.
"That’s just to start the conversation within the community about naloxone so people understand what it is and how it can be used."
Scotland's drugs 'pandemic'
Earlier this year, Glasgow officers used naloxone for an opioid-related drug overdose within hours of receiving training.
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie feels the project has worked well so far.
He said: "It isn’t just about the number of interventions we make it’s also about community attitudes, particularly those people who are living with addiction.
"In smaller communities, we wanted to see how those communities were effected as well as the bigger city communities.
"They (officers) don’t need to get involved, but over 80% have decided to get involved and we’ve already had 21 occasions where officers have administered naloxone.
"21 occasions where they’ve helped save someone’s life.
"The drug problem isn’t just inner cities.
"It’s a pandemic of its own in Scotland, I don’t think there’s any area where it’s not relevant for Police to carry naloxone."