By 1919 staff
New fears of “mission creep” have emerged after police were forced to use overdose-reversing medication for drug addicts more than eight times a week last year.
Officers have carried Naloxone since 2021, but are using it increasingly amid Scotland’s drugs crisis.
Now frontline officers have said they are being called instead of other services purely to administer the spray, with some individuals requiring several interventions in a single day.
Brian Jones, vice chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said forces in England and Wales had rejected carrying Naloxone because “it’s not the primary function of an officer”.
“They’re worried about mission creep and we can see it in Scotland,” he said.
“Officers are happy to carry Naloxone and use it when needed, but we are now seeing officers being called to incidents which used to be dealt with by someone else.
“That’s more strain on an under-strain police service, and there just aren’t the resources to do it.
“It’s not working and drug deaths are continuing to rise.”
New data shows the use of Naloxone by officers on duty has rapidly increased over the past five years, with the total reaching 437 in 2025.
This is the highest figure on record, and more than double the 209 times that the medicine was administered by police in 2024.
Naloxone can reverse the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose, stimulating a person’s breathing, and buying time until an ambulance arrives. It is administered through a nasal spray.
Following a series of pilots in parts of Scotland in 2021, the force decided to roll it out nationally to all frontline uniformed officers up to and including the rank of inspector.
“It’s not working and drug deaths are continuing to rise”
Brian Jones, Scottish Police Federation
Since August 2023, the medicine has been part of standard issue kit, with officers being trained in how to use it and carrying two doses with them as they go about their duties.
The new figures show that over the five years from 2021 to 2025, Naloxone was administered by officers a total of 1,056 times.
Over this period, Scotland has been grappling with high numbers of drug-related deaths, resulting in the nation being dubbed “the drug death capital of Europe”.
A total of 1,017 drug misuse deaths were recorded in 2024, a fall of 155 on the previous year, but charities have warned of an increase when the 2025 figures are published.
Chief Superintendent Joanne McEwan told 1919 that Police Scotland was “committed to doing all we can to combat the harmful effects of drugs in our society, from both an enforcement perspective and also while taking a public health approach”.
She added that the national rollout of Naloxone to frontline officers was “potentially saving many lives”.
“The illegal consumption of drugs has a devastating impact, and we have the deepest sympathy for those affected,” she continued.
“We work closely with partners to share information on drugs trends, emerging threats, and intelligence, so they can provide swift intervention and support to communities as part of a multiagency public health approach to drug-related harm.”
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “It is important that the Scottish Government works closely with Police Scotland to ensure that they have the resources needed to help respond and save lives.”