POLICE officers in the Scottish Borders up to and including the rank of Inspector are now issued opioid reversal treatment Naloxone as part of their part of standard kit.

Naloxone is an emergency, first aid response to an opioid/opiate-related drug overdose. It reverses the respiratory suppression caused by opioids, re-stimulating the casualty’s breathing. 

It can buy critical time for ambulance clinicians to arrive and provide professional medical care. It is an extremely safe treatment which has no effect on someone who hasn’t taken opioids/opiates.

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The carriage and use of Naloxone by officers is part of a number of national and local public health efforts to address Scotland's extremely high drug death rate.

Border Telegraph:

In addition, it’s hoped the high profile carriage of Naloxone by police officers will raise awareness of Naloxone and what it does, as well as encouraging members of the public to consider undertaking training to carry kits themselves.

Latest figures show that Police Scotland officers administered the opioid reversal treatment Naloxone on at least 47 occasions in the first quarter of 2023.

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​Between January 1 and March 31, 2023, the life​-saving first aid treatment was provided by officers in the East area which includes the Lothians and Scottish Borders at 13 incidents, in the West at 19 incidents and in the North on 15

This brings the total numbers of administrations since Naloxone was first provided to officers as part of a national test of change in March 2021 to at least 153 incidents.

While the overwhelming majority of cases had positive outcomes, sadly, on four occasions, the casualty was beyond medical assistance and did not survive. ​

Police Scotland’s national rollout of Naloxone began on International Overdose Awareness Day in August 2022 following successful pilots in Caithness, Dundee, Falkirk, Glasgow and Stirling in 2021.