Police are already on the frontline, and their responsibilities keep growing.
The idea they might also be asked to administer life-saving drugs only adds to their burden.
At face value, the proposal to carry Naloxone could save lives.
The drug is used as a nasal spray to treat victims of drug overdose.
Police officers might be the first on the scene and be able to make the difference between life and death.
In Scotland, where drug deaths are at shameful levels, this sounds like a positive plan. But leaders at the Scottish Police Federation are worried.
They know from experience how the sight of officers in uniform can change the dynamic with addicts.
They also fear police will effectively take on the role of paramedic, where ambulance crews would be expected to attend first.
For this to work, police need cast-iron assurances their concerns are being taken on board.
Police must be supported if this potentially life-saving idea has any chance of making a difference.
Blair necessity
Tony Blair’s time as prime minister will inevitably be overshadowed by the catastrophic decision to invade Iraq.
However, Blair is also Labour’s most successful leader and he presided over sweeping economic and social change.
As Labour enters the next phase of its leadership contest, party members should listen carefully to the man who won three elections.
He says Labour is in need of “fundamental reconstruction” and “head-to-toe renewal”. And he is right.
After Labour lost in 2010, the party should have had a relentless focus on the voters who deserted them for the Tories.
Instead, they looked inwards for nine years and treated voters as an afterthought. Corbyn’s terrible four years in charge were a low point.
A credible Labour Party would have won the last election, not lost heavily to a discredited Tory Government.
If Labour does not heed Blair’s message, nine years in the wilderness could turn into 20.
Bark from dead
Monty the dog’s owner thought the Jack Russell was a goner when he ended up stuck in a hole after falling down a steep slope.
Luckily for Monty, owner Chris Blake is a geologist who had all the tools available to dig a rescue tunnel and bring him back to the surface safe and sound.
That is one lucky mutt – and a tale with a very happy ending.
