Police chiefs have said a decision to issue anti-overdose spray Naloxone to officers will save lives.

All cops in the local area who are deemed to be “operational” will be given a Naloxone kit and trained how to use it.

The nasal spray counters the effects of drugs such as heroin and can mean the difference between life and death for people who have overdosed.

It was used by officers dozens of times during a six-month trial, leading to support for a wider rollout.

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “We’ve taken a decision as a police service to issue Naloxone to all officers.

“That’s after a six-month pilot where, in different parts of Scotland, a number of officers carried Naloxone.

“What that pilot showed is that Naloxone can save lives.

“We think it’s safe to issue it, we think it will save lives and we are issuing Naloxone to all our officers because it is the right thing to do.”

Latest figures from Police Scotland show that from April 2020 until September last year, there were a total of 62 suspected drug deaths in the Argyll and West Dunbartonshire police division area.

In November last year West Dunbartonshire Council published a sombre report which showed a three-fold increase in drug deaths in the area. In 2020, some 29 people in the area died due to drug use, and 32 died in 2019.

A Problem Assessment Group – made up of experts from health and other services – has been set up to minimise the risk of further loss of life.

Chief Constable Livingstone said all communities must play their part in reducing the number of drug deaths, stressing that, on its own, Naloxone “won’t be the answer.”

He added: “There needs to be other interventions, there needs to be support services for those who suffer drug addiction and their families.

“Policing will play its part but every part of Scottish life must make a contribution.”