Shocking increase in Fife drug death toll

ON THE day the parents of a young woman murdered in Glasgow launched a new drugs awareness campaign, new figures have revealed Fife’s shocking drug death toll dramatically worsened last year.

Emma Caldwell, a heroin addict, was discovered dead in woods near Biggar, South Lanarkshire, in May 2005.

Her parents said she turned to drugs, then prostitution to feed her habit, after the death of her sister.

They hope that the Scottish Government’s Know the Score campaign will encourage others to speak to their children about drugs before it is too late.

Yesterday it was revealed that 31 deaths across Fife were said to be directly attributable to the overdose of illicit substances in 2008—a 55% rise on the 20 recorded a year previously.

Most of the victims, the majority of whom were male, died as a result of using a lethal combination of heroin, methadone, alcohol and tranquilisers, while almost all of the users were not socially isolated, with 22 of the 31 dying in the company of friends or relatives.

The statistics were outlined in a report commissioned by the Fife Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT), which drew on data compiled by the police, NHS, social work and voluntary services and the Scottish Prison Service throughout 2008.

All of the victims, whose ages ranged between 18 and 49, had accessed at least one support service in the five years prior to their deaths, the report noted, and over half were said to have overdosed at least once in their lifetime.

Almost all (97%) had also been arrested in the past, although just over half (52%) had served a prison sentence at some point in their lives.

In the wake of the report’s findings recommendations have now been drawn up highlighting the need for better education on the risks of consuming lethal cocktails of drugs and spotting the common signs of overdose.

A member of Fife DAAT and co-author of the report, Dr Alex Baldacchino said members of the Fife Drug Deaths Monitoring and Prevention Group, under the auspices of DAAT, had worked sensitively with personal details and agreed action areas to help reduce the risk of drug death in the future.

He said, “The problems associated with drug use are complex and demand that services work together to make a positive difference to the lives of those affected by substance misuse.

“This report is the result of effective partnership work and provides DAAT with hard evidence on which to base future actions.”

The report—which looked at victims’ drug use, emotional well-being and support service history—confirmed that nine of the dead had lived in Kirkcaldy.

Seven came from Dunfermline, four from Glenrothes and two from Buckhaven, while Cupar, Anstruther, Cowdenbeath, Guardbridge, Kennoway, Rosyth and St Andrews also lost individuals to the drugs scourge last year. Two others were said to have no fixed abode.

Nine out of 10 victims were male, most were physically and mentally unwell, and almost half of the deaths were 20 to 29-year-olds, with only 6% aged 19 or under.

The statistics show that 48% had children— although three-quarters of those did not live with their offspring—and 70% were not in a relationship, divorced or separated.

Those behind the startling report also used their findings to paint a picture of the average drug victim in Fife, highlighting a 28-year-old white man who most likely left school at 16 and got caught up in drug abuse.

He would have experienced physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse or had a family history of psychiatric illness, substance misuse or spent time in care.

A typical victim would also be single, unemployed and have a criminal record.

“On the day of his death he would have purchased one ‘tenner’ bag of heroin along with alcohol and benzodiazepines,” the report speculated. “He would have shared these amongst friends/co-users and injected in the presence of them.

“He would have died in the presence of others and would have been believed to be sleeping and any attempts to revive him would therefore have been prolonged.”

Agencies working with the region’s drug users have now pledged to improve services in a bid to bring down the spiralling number of deaths.

Chief executive of NHS Fife George Brechin said, “This report, by looking for lessons to reduce the risk of future deaths, is a positive response to a series of individual tragedies and I am grateful to all involved.”