Thursday February 12th 2026
Police Scotland
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Edinburgh’s top police officer has spoken on the drugs crisis in Edinburgh, as worries grow about deadly nitazines entering into local drug supplies.
Speaking at a council meeting on Wednesday, Chief Superintendent David Robertson told councillors that he shared councillors’ concerns about the drugs crisis.
But he added that he felt the city had handled a spike in drugs incidents last year well with a joined up response.
It comes after an Edinburgh Live investigation saw undercover reporters buy heroin cut with etonitazine – part of the nitazene family – within 45 minutes of being in the city centre.
Experts described the substance as ‘1,000 times more potent than morphine’, with rough sleepers in the city saying they had seen people taken out of hostels in ‘body bags’ after taking similar batches.
Frontline charity workers, meanwhile, have said the state of the drugs crisis is the worst they had seen in 30 years.
The investigation, and the wider drugs crisis in the capital, are set to be discussed at Holyrood.
CS Robertson said: “Drug harm is one of the most serious public health challenges that faces the city. [A police inspectorate report] referenced Edinburgh as demonstrating strong practice.
“They noted our intelligence led integrated partnership model, the strength of our partnerships among the city. I think it’s a testament to the wider partnership.”
He added that the city was ‘demanding’ to police, but that the police division was doing well working with ‘finite resources’.
SNP councillor Finlay McFarlane asked: “I wanted to provide you the opportunity to delve into the drug harm element of your work a little more.
“[Health] reports of increasing nitazines, benzodiazepines, heroin, it’s really frightening.
“I just wonder how you can square the statistics in your report with what I’m [hearing] as a city centre ward councillor.”
He also asked whether the amount of overdose reversal drug Naloxone carried by officers was enough to deal with need.
CS Robertson replied: “I share your concerns. I think that the number of drug related deaths fluctuates.
“Earlier this year, we did see a spike that did concern me greatly, I had a real deep dive into our response to that.
“Having had a really detailed look at the response, what I saw when we had that spike was the whole partnership kicked in covering all those bases.”
He added that policing work to interrupt supply of drugs during the spike had been effective, and that the recent police inspectorate report validated the work the police division was doing.
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