Ayrshire police officers are set to start carrying Naloxone in a bid to halt devastating drug overdose deaths.
A total of 500 life-saving intra-nasal sprays are to be dished out to cops up to and including the rank of inspector across the region for use in potentially life-threatening overdose situations.
This is the first time Ayrshire officers have received the kit and those issued with the medicine will undertake online training before receiving equipment to carry while on duty.
Chief superintendent Faroque Hussain, divisional commander for Ayrshire said the use of the equipment could potentially save lives.
Ayrshire's top cop added: "The role of policing goes beyond law enforcement and preservation of life lies at the very core of our duties. Equipping officers in Ayrshire with Naloxone supplements their existing extensive first aid training and helps them to fulfil that responsibility.
“Officers are often first on scene at incidents of overdose and the Naloxone nasal sprays give us the opportunity to buy someone critical time until professional medical help arrives.
"Drugs misuse can have a devastating effect on individuals, families and entire communities and I hope the carriage of Naloxone by our officers helps to saves lives and positively change attitudes."
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.
Since a pilot was launched in March 2021, the equipment has been used in at least 95 incidents by officers, with positive outcomes on all but four occasions. In three of the four incidents, officers suspected the individual was already deceased, however, they administered Naloxone to give the casualty every possible chance at recovery. In the fourth instance the individual did not regain consciousness and later died in hospital.
Police have used Naloxone in incidents where they've 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.
Drug-related deaths in Ayrshire are among the highest in Scotland, according to figures released earlier this year.
Only Greater Glasgow and Clyde recorded more fatalities after adjustment for age.
Over the five year period 2017-2021, Ayrshire and Arran's drug misuse death rate stood at 28.1 per 100,000 population.
However, the region's 100 drug-related deaths in 2021 showed a slight decrease from 106 in 2020 and 109 in 2019.
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