Kevin Michael McGurty

I recommend that Police Scotland and NHS Scotland reconsider their policies in this area.

There should if possible be a uniform policy across Scotland, but consideration should be given to equipping all custody stations with AEDs and training officers to make as certain as possible that all officers faced with a situation of a sudden collapse are clearly able to recognise a situation where the AED may be required and act accordingly.

Police officers should in my opinion be given specific training in recognising these potential warning signs and of the stressors likely to increase risk of heart failure.

I also recommend that Police Scotland review their training materials and policies in relation to heart health and responses to it, in particular the amount of time and emphasis allocated to it in training.

The training should be discrete, as simple as possible, and concentrate on what signs there are of possible heart failure.

These include abnormal breathing, for which the recovery position would be inappropriate, with an emphasis on providing CPR forthwith.

Officers should be trained in what is likely to be an emergency situation.

They should be instructed to put their training into practice and put out of their minds their own ideas; such that it was helping Mr McGurty to massage his airways.

They must be reminded of the need to act immediately and not just await the arrival of the ambulance crew.

This is unlikely to have saved Mr McGurty’s life, but, Police Scotland must do more to impress upon its officers the need to act with alacrity when similar circumstances arise in the future.