Stirling’s drug death rate falls
But Forth Valley and Scotland figures see rise
Stirling has seen a drop in drug-related deaths, despite overall numbers in Forth Valley increasing.
The number of suspected drug -related deaths in Forth Valley in 2023 rose by one from the previous year, to 49.
However, of these, only 11 were within the Stirling area - down from 19 in 2022.
The Stirling figures appear to buck the trend experienced in the wider Forth Valley, and also the rest of Scotland.
According to Police Scotland figures, across Scotland deaths have risen from 295 in 2022 to 297 in 2023, having peaked at 364 in 2020.
Forth Valley saw 43 deaths in 2017, 69 in 2018, 78 in 2019, 84 in 2020, and 63 in 2021.
At a recent meeting of Stirling Council’s public safety committee councillor heard that while the use of Naloxone, an emergency first aid treatment for use in a potentially life-threatening overdose situation, could be a factor in the reduction of deaths in Stirling, it may not be the entire picture.
Naloxone works by reversing the respiratory suppression caused by opioids/opiates and can buy the casualty critical minutes until ambulance clinicians arrive on scene.
Chief Inspector Sarah Mcarthur, local area commander in Stirling, said: “The number of drugs deaths [in Stirling] has decreased from 19 to 11. It’s a positive result obviously - however, we definitely won’t become complacent with this and will work towards reducing that again.
“The decrease could be as a result of partnership working in that area and also we now have officers who carry Naloxone when they’re out and about. They have administered this to drug users when required so this could also be a contributory factor. ”
Conservative councillor Rachel Nunn said it would be useful going forward to get an idea of how many times Naloxone was being administered in order to help get some indication of whether the threat was still there or if authorities were dealing with the issue better.
Police representatives said: “In terms of Naloxone, we do still record the amount of times we use Naloxone. I would stress though that it’s one factor and we would never allude to the fact that it’s the cause of the reduction. It’s just one of the factors we’ve brought in that came in last year and just one of those things we’re using for reduction in the partnership working that we do.
“We can bring some of the figures [back to committee] or we do have one or two case studies where we know for a fact it’s been administered to an unconscious casualty who’s come round again - and that has happened on several occasions.”
Councillor Nunn asked: “Are you saying that the reduction in drug deaths is almost a real reduction because there have been a suite of preventative measures, it’s not necessarily been a first aid response that has resulted in that reduction, there’s been a reduction much earlier, a more preventative reduction in that suite of events?”
Police representatives replied: “We’re just saying that Naloxone alone isn’t responsible for the reduction in drug deaths, there’s a whole range of preventative activity for all uses over Scotland and Stirling that will be responsible but my point is I don’t want to claim Naloxone is a great factor in that, it’s just one of numerous preventative activities that collectively will be partly responsible - but again the measurement of that would be difficult.”
In relation to the Scottish and Forth Valley figures, Bridge of Allanbased Scottish Conservative Midscotland & Fife MSP, Alexander Stewart said this week: “The latest table of drug-related deaths from Police Scotland shows that Forth Valley’s drug death figures have remained stubbornly constant since 2017, with figures only fluctuating slightly.
“We have to remember however that these are not merely numbers; each one is an individual human being and someone’s relative, friend and loved one, which is an absolute disgrace that no great inroads have been made.
“For a long time, Scotland has remained the highest in Europe regarding drug deaths, which also continue to disproportionately affect those in the most deprived areas.
“This scandal is Scotland’s national shame and we cannot go on like this, as lives are being lost and families are being torn apart.”