Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Naloxone administered by Dundee police makes up fifth of nationwide total

Officers began carrying Naloxone - which reverses the effects of a drugs overdose - in the city in 2021.

A Naloxone kit.
A Naloxone kit.

Almost a fifth of all administrations of the overdose reversal drug Naloxone by police officers in Scotland have occurred in Dundee.

Officers began carrying the medicine back in 2021 when Dundee was one of five areas chosen to be part of a pilot scheme aimed at tackling drug-related deaths.

Caithness, Falkirk, Glasgow and Stirling were also involved.

The scheme was eventually rolled-out nationwide, with the force completing this last month.

Naloxone works by blocking the effects of opioids, restoring normal breathing within two to three minutes in a person whose breath has slowed, or even stopped, as a result of an overdose.

New figures from Police Scotland have now revealed the medicine was used by officers in Dundee 57 times between April 2021 and August this year.

This is almost a fifth of the 325 occasions officers used Naloxone across Scotland in the same period.

Naloxone has been used by Dundee officers a further three times in September, bringing the total number of uses of the medicine to 60.

As of September 15, it has been used 18 times in the city this year – up from the 16 occasions it was administered in 2022.

The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, also show the drug has been used a total of 78 times by officers across the Tayside region.

Naloxone training encouraged

Dundee City Council alcohol and drugs spokesperson councillor Nadia El-Nakla said: “Agencies across Dundee including Police Scotland are working together to reduce the harm caused by drugs and to help save lives.

“The roll-out of naloxone in the city is an important component in that strategy, as is the non-fatal overdose approach which engages with people immediately and intensively to try and prevent them from experiencing another overdose.

Dundee Councillor Nadia El-Nakla.
Councillor Nadia El-Nakla. Image: Mhairi Edwards DC Thomson.

“I have attended naloxone training and would encourage others to do so, we have the opportunity to save lives.

“The council, and its partners, are determined that our city can be a better place for everyone, so that people can avoid the dangers of drugs and the suffering caused to individuals, families and communities.”

Chief Superintendent Phil Davison, Divisional Commander for Tayside added: “Naloxone is part of that public health approach. We’ve had positive outcomes in the overwhelming majority of incidents, and I am in no doubt that by doing so, our officers have saved lives.

“I very much hope that by officers carrying it in a highly visible manner, it will encourage other people to learn about Naloxone, and consider carrying it themselves.”

Conversation