Carriage of Naloxone by Police Scotland officers

All frontline uniformed Police Scotland officers up to and including the rank of Inspector have been trained and equipped with intra-nasal Naloxone.

Naloxone is an emergency, first aid response to opioid/opiate-related drug overdose situations. It reverses the respiratory suppression caused by opioids, stimulating a person's breathing; it can buy someone enough time to allow ambulance clinicians to arrive and provide professional medical care.

In February 2022, the Chief Constable made the decision to approve a national roll-out of Naloxone. 

This followed ​an independent evaluation of our test of change in Dundee, Falkirk, Glasgow, Stirling and Caithness in 2021, during which officers used the spray on 62 occasions.

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.

The national rollout was officially completed in August 2023 and Naloxone is now part of standard issue kit for all officers up to and including the rank of Inspector.

Officers will undertake a Naloxone refresher annually during their annual Operational Safety Training recertification.

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

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

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 2022, there were 1,051 drug related deaths in Scotland, a drop of nearly 21 per cent on the previous year (a reduction of 279 deaths) which represented the lowest number of drug misuse deaths since 2017. However, Scotland still has the highest drug related deaths rate in Europe, with a rate 2.7 times higher than the UK average.

Police Scotland’s 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.

More about Police Scotland’s work relating to Naloxone:

Police Scotland develops proposals to trial Naloxone – February 2020

Police Scotland to pilot carriage of Naloxone by officers - November 2020

Partnership funding facilitates officers for Police Scotland Naloxone pilot project – December 2021

Police Scotland officers administer Naloxone for first time in pilot project – March 2021

Volunteer Police Scotland officer saves a life after Naloxone training – April 2021

Naloxone Test of Change update on International Overdose Awareness Day – August 2021

Further Naloxone administrations by Police Scotland officers – November 2021

Police Scotland commits to national roll-out of life-saving nasal spray – February 2022

Police Scotland national roll-out of Naloxone begins on International Overdose Awareness Day - August 2022

Police in Edinburgh administer Naloxone for the first time - December 2022

Naloxone arrives in more Police Scotland divisions - December 2022

Naloxone administered by Police Scotland officers at more than 100 incidents - December 2022

Naloxone roll-out under way in Lanarkshire - February 2023

Naloxone roll-out under way in Fife - March 2023

Naloxone roll-out under way in Argyll & West Dunbartonshire - March 2023

Naloxone roll-out under way in Dumfries and Galloway - March 2023

Naloxone roll-out under way in the Lothians and Scottish Borders - March 2023

Naloxone usage by Police Scotland officers, January to March 2023 - July 2023

Naloxone usage by Police Scotland officers, April to June 2023 - August 2023

Police Scotland completes national roll-out of Naloxone to officers on International Overdose Awareness Day - August 2023