Nurses start police custody work

The nurses will look at alcohol and drug abuse and suicide prevention

Nurses are to start working with people who end up in police custody across Tayside.

They will deal with alcohol abuse, drugs, suicide intervention, mental health, methadone dispensing, sexual health and harm reduction.

Two full-time nurses will be on duty at all times during the three-year pilot project.

They will be based at police headquarters in Dundee, but will be able to travel to other areas.

Det Supt Roddy Ross said: ''The basis for the arrangement is that Tayside Police will provide NHS Tayside with access to its custody suites so that it can continue to deliver healthcare to people who are generally 'hard to reach' and in a high-risk population.

"In this respect the pilot breaks new ground and demands a different type of customer and supplier relationship than that which usually exists between a police force and its provider of medical and forensic services."