PC saved life after overdose

A police officer saved the life of a Stirling overdose victim after using a new drug to reverse the effects.

Naloxone is a pharmaceutical drug which can temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose, providing more time for an ambulance to arrive and treatment to be given.

Around a dozen local police officers have recently been trained in use of the drug.

Councillors were told at a meeting last week that a local constable had already used naloxone to save a man’s life.

Stirling area commander, Chief Inspector Gill Marshall told Stirling Council’s public safety committee last Thursday:“PC Stephenson is one of the community officers trained in the use of naloxone. During August she reacted to a report of male in overdose.

“She deployed her naloxone and the male recovered from his opiates overdose. This action potentially prevented a drugs death. The male has been referred to support services.”

Figures reported to the committee showed that the number of drug related deaths from January 1 2021 to September 24 2021 across the whole Forth Valley division was 44, down from 53 for the same period previously.

Narrowing the figures down to just Stirling for the same period, there were 10, down from 20 previously (a drop of 50 per cent).

Council leader Scott Farmer said: “I’d like to compliment and thank officers PC Stephenson and others who have deployed naloxone in saving lives of some of our most vulnerable individuals.

“In terms of officers being able to deploy naloxone I believe that’s voluntary. How many officers in the Stirling area are trained in that and are they geographically spread? Someone can have an overdose anywhere including Callander, Buchlyvie etc.”

CI Marshall replied:“The short answer is no - but there’s a good reason for that.

“Stirling community policing team were chosen as part of the Test of Change programme and small numbers of teams were across Scotland chosen to be part of that. This was so this could be monitored so a decision could then be made on whether it should be more widely rolled out.

“Around 12/13 of our own officers are trained - including myself and Inspector Liam Harman.

“When officers hear that coming over radio - and we also share a channel with Clackmannanshire they are jumping in cars and driving towards these incidents. They are desperate to get there, especially if they know there’s a delay in medical assistance coming from anywhere else.”

Councillor Farmer said:“I do hope training is spread out, particularly given that potentially lives have been saved already. That’s good news.”