The number of ambulance calls made to prisons in Scotland in relation to cases of overdosing or poisoning has risen by more than 150 per cent in the last five years, the Scottish Conservatives have revealed.
A Freedom of Information request from the party shows that 80 calls were made during the pandemic in 2020-21. This was a sharp rise on the 30 calls that were made in 2016-17, a rise of 167%.
Ambulances were called 13 times at HMP Barlinnie, while 12 calls were made at HMP Glenochil. A further eight calls were made at prisons in Kilmarnock and Low Moss.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson, says the figures should be a wake-up call for SNP Ministers and has called on them to take measures to urgently stop drugs getting into prisons.
Commenting Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Graham Simpson said:: “Scotland's prison drugs crisis is adding to the immense pressure on hard working staff and our already overstretched ambulance crews.
“This shocking rise of over 150 per cent for prison ambulance call outs over five years confirms the warnings from prison officers.
“Prison officers are at breaking point. Many of these calls outs will be for suspected drugs overdoses.
“These figures should be a wake-up call for the SNP justice secretary, health secretary and drugs minister. Our ambulance service cannot cope with calls increasing at this rate.
“SNP Ministers have repeatedly ignored our calls to tackle the main source of prison drug smuggling - which is substances being soaked into items of mail.
“They could stop this immediately but instead come up with a vague commitment to look into it.
“That is a dereliction of duty and puts prison staff and ambulance crews under increased pressure. It also reduces the chances of prisoners to get clean and rehabilitate.”
