Frontline police officers have been warned against using life-saving “overdose kits” on addicts over fears they could be charged with assault.
Police Scotland is developing proposals to issue officers with Naloxone – a nasal spray which is used to treat victims of drug overdoses – for a trial period.
The move comes after paramedics are to train families of heroin users on how to use the kits amid soaring drug-related deaths in Scotland.
But the idea has come under fire from the Scottish Police Federation, which said there are already too many pressures on frontline officers and it puts its members at risk from legal proceedings.
Union chiefs fear cops treating overdose cases as first responders put patients at more risk as ambulance calls are routinely downgraded when police attend.
General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, Calum Steele, sent out a memo to cops this week warning it will not represent any officer who finds themselves facing proceedings after using the kits.
And he said clinical advice issued to police said overdoses were a medical matter, with the Scottish Ambulance Service the primary agency in charge of response.
The advice said: “Police officers are not trained diagnosticians. The potential for allegations of assault is very real.
“Police officers are already overworked and dealing with unprecedented demand.
“Any police officer carrying and/or administering Naloxone undermines any arguments on this. It also makes it even easier for other agencies and public bodies to step back from their own responsibilities due to a belief the police will simply fill the void.”
He added: “No police officer can be compelled to carry Naloxone.”
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “We are aware of the Scottish Police Federation circular and I’ve already reassured our officers that we intend to engage fully with staff associations and address any concerns before any final decision is made.”
