Drug policy reform campaigner Peter Krykant dies aged 48
Krykant, who battled his own addiction issues, said his mobile injection room saved lives and argued for similar facilities to be set up to cut Scotland's soaring drug deaths.
Peter Krykant in the converted ambulance, which allowed drug users a safe space to inject (Image: Mark F Gibson) It has been reported that he was found dead at home in Falkirk .
He faced police charges over the ambulance, but these were later dropped.
He said: "We are all deeply saddened to hear of Peter's passing.
'Everyone from the Scottish Greens is thinking of his family and friends at this extremely difficult time.
"Peter was a tireless campaigner for a fairer, more compassionate approach to handling drug misuse and addiction, and his campaigning has left such an important legacy in the UK's first safe consumption room in Glasgow.
"His advocacy for drug reform, and of course, his yellow van have no doubt saved countless lives in Scotland."
Police Scotland have said that no suspicious circumstances surround the death at Krykant's home in Larbert, Falkirk, on Monday this week.
Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who had helped man the mobile service, which was regarded as illegal at the time, said 48-year-old Krykant's efforts had helped make significant changes to Scotland's drugs policy.
READ MORE:
Mr Sweeney told The Daily Record: 'I'm shocked and saddened to hear of Peter's death. We can't underestimate the contribution he made to the drugs debate in Scotland, which came amid many years of increasing overdose deaths.
'He undoubtedly played a major part in changing policy in a political a system that was very much set in its ways and resistant to the kind of radical change that Peter advocated.'
Earlier this year, The Thistle safe drugs consumption facility opened in Glasgow after years of political wrangling between the Scottish and UK governments, allowing those who inject drugs like heroin and cocaine a safe place to do so, with medical professionals on hand should they be needed.
The centre has seen 17 overdoses since it opened, according to service manager Lynn Macdonald in March, some of which she believes would have resulted in death had staff not stepped in.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
ICE is recruiting agents with ads, incentives. Sheriffs aren't happy.
"America needs you," reads one of the ICE recruiting ads, featuring a finger-pointing Uncle Sam, evoking WWI recruiting posters. "America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out." The federal spending plan funds the hiring of 10,000 new ICE agents, making ICE the single-largest law enforcement agency in the country, larger than the FBI, DEA, ATF and other agencies combined. For comparison, the FBI only has about 13,700 special agents, according to the Department of Justice. Even before the new hires take their posts, the dramatic expansion of public ICE operations has upset communities from coast to coast, and raised questions about the tactics agents have used as they've chased suspects across Home Depot parking lots, farm fields and into medical buildings. The aggressive recruitment efforts have also angered local sheriffs worried that deputies in already understaffed offices will be lured away by the big bonuses and higher pay. "It is tone deaf and reflects a total lack of judgment and character on their part," Jonathan Thompson, the executive director and CEO of the National Sheriff's Association, said of a recruiting offer emailed to local deputies nationwide. "This is either galactically stupid or purposefully malicious. You're just robbing Peter to pay Paul. And in this case, you're robbing the poorest of Peter to pay the richest of Paul." Massive media blitz, incentives and job offers Bolstered by new staffing, federal officials have promised to further flood Democrat-run cities with deportation officers in response to a lack of cooperation in executing Trump's get-tough approach that has targeted undocumented immigrations with or without criminal records. The Department of Homeland Security has already begun hiring for the new jobs. Federal officials are planning a massive social media blitz to reach recruits, potentially advertising on YouTube and SnapChat, but also on connected TVs via Hulu and Amazon Prime. In addition to the signing bonuses, ICE is offering up to $60,000 in student loan forgiveness, although applicants don't need to have college degrees to be considered for some of the jobs. ICE officials on July 31 announced they've made 1,000 job offers since Trump signed the funding law. Among those receiving job offers are retired ICE agents who quit during the Biden administration, said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons in a statement. "They couldn't do the jobs they signed up to do," Lyons said. "Now, people are lining up to work with us because they know our officers and agents are allowed to enforce immigration law fairly and across the board, and that's a cause people really believe in." Applicants 'should expect a certain level of risk' White House officials say there's been an 830% increase in assaults against agents through July 14th, compared with the same period last year, and the recruiting materials say applicants "should expect a certain level of risk," but that they will be trained to take "every precaution" in remaining safe. How quickly ICE can bring aboard the new employees remains uncertain. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has long struggled to hire Border Patrol agents, who typically take more than 300 days to bring aboard, according to a 2024 GAO study. Joe Gamaldi, the national vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police union, said he suspects ICE will face the same recruiting challenges as local departments. He said years of demonizing law enforcement by some politicians, activists and media has created a "toxic cocktail" that will make hiring challenging. "Truth be told, all police agencies are competing for a small pool of people who are still willing to serve and literally die for their communities," he said. "Bonuses and better pay will help, but ultimately police officers, and those interested in police work, want to serve for an agency and communities that appreciate them and don't treat them like scum." Local sheriffs furious about ICE recruitment efforts The aggressive hiring efforts have frustrated local law enforcement leaders who worry their officers will flock to better-paying federal jobs. Without telling local sheriffs in advance, ICE officials directly emailed recruitment offers to hundreds of deputies across the country. Thompson, of the National Sheriff's Association, said sheriffs feel betrayed by the move. Thompson said sheriffs agreed to send deputies to special immigration enforcement training designed for local police, only to then have ICE try to simply poach them away. "It's become a wildfire of discontent, and not how partners treat partners," he said. "This is an embarrassment to this president, and it's sad." Thompson said some sheriff's offices currently have vacancies of 40% and predicted the ICE hiring spree could further winnow the ranks of local law enforcement. Other policing experts have raised concerns about the risks of hiring so quickly. National-security expert and commentator Garrett Graf, who investigated Border Patrol hiring surges after 9/11, said in a Substack post that ICE risks a surge of applications from Americans "specifically attracted by the rough-em-up, masked secret police tactics, no-holds-barred lawlessness that ICE has pursued since January." Graff added: "If you're excited to dress up like you're taking Fallujah for a raid of hard-working roofers in the Home Depot parking lot, working for ICE or CBP shouldn't be for you."
.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26auto%3Dwebp%26quality%3D75%26trim%3D230%2C118%2C268%2C135%26crop%3D&w=3840&q=100)
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Sandie Peggie NHS Fife tribunal: 'Mass discrimination' legal action warning if nurse wins case over Beth Upton
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It has been one of the most contentious and high-profile employment tribunals in modern British legal history and its outcome could wield significant influence at a time when policies and guidance around gender are in a state of flux. All eyes are on the Dundee employment tribunal that has heard every blow and counter in the case brought by Sandie Peggie against NHS Fife. In legal proceedings that have made headlines around the UK, the nurse is pursuing a claim for sexual harassment, belief discrimination and victimisation against both the health board and Dr Beth Upton, a trans woman colleague at Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital with whom she clashed over a women's changing room. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With the final evidence sessions concluding last week, the legal teams of those involved have until August 25 to provide any supplementary statements effectively summarising their case. The tribunal will then briefly reconvene at the start of September for two days for oral submissions alongside any legal questions. Supporters of nurse Sandie Peggie protest outside the employment tribunal hearings in Dundee. Picture: Lisa Ferguson | Lisa Ferguson Only then will the panel, helmed by employment judge Sandy Kemp, be in a position to issue a written ruling. But while many tribunal judgements are given relatively quickly after the final submissions have been made, the intricacies of this particular case mean it could be weeks, if not months, before a legally binding decision is announced. One source indicated 'the end of 2025' as a 'likely timeframe', given the panel has to consider not just the evidence from more than 15 witnesses, but thousands of pages of documentation. When the moment eventually arrives, the implications could well be far reaching. Around the UK there are a number of ongoing employment tribunals and other legal cases which span the kind of gender-critical and trans issues that have been discussed at length throughout the Peggie tribunal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And according to gender-critical campaign and advocacy groups involved in various legal activities, there is likely to be similar employment tribunal cases in Scotland - and potentially, even a large, class-action style legal action. 'There are more employment tribunals' Susan Smith, co-founder of For Women Scotland, the gender critical group that successfully fought the Scottish Government all the way to the Supreme Court over sex-based protections, said there were other women planning legal action around such issues. She indicated there may also be cases similar to the judicial review brought to the Court of Session in April by parents in the Scottish Borders, which ultimately led to a judge ordering that Scottish state schools must provide single sex toilets for pupils. Ms Smith said: 'I know there are more employment tribunals. It's always hard to say how many, because people are at different stages of the process, but I understand there are a couple of court dates that have been set. Susan Smith, left, celebrated with colleagues and supporters of For Women Scotland after the Supreme Court ruling that the word 'woman' in the 2010 Equality Act refers to a biological woman. Picture: Lucy North/PA | PA 'There is also consideration underway about whether judicial reviews will be brought against anyone at any point for not adhering to the law. It can be a difficult process, but ultimately, we're not going anywhere. And if things aren't being done, we're keeping an eye on what we need to think about doing.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Maya Forstater, chief executive of the Sex Matters group, stressed the law on single sex spaces was 'already clear' in the wake of April's landmark Supreme Court ruling. The court decision set out the terms 'woman' and 'sex' refer only to a biological woman and biological sex in the Equality Act. But should the Dundee tribunal find in Ms Peggie's favour, Ms Forstater said it would 'help bring home to foot-dragging employers all over the country that complying is not optional'. 'Any employer that continues to flout health and safety regulations concerning toilets, changing rooms and washing facilities is putting itself at risk not only of a high-profile legal case involving a single brave claimant like Sandie, but a mass discrimination and harassment case taken jointly by large numbers of female employees,' she said. Appeal could lead to legal precedent being set As is to be expected, the extent of the repercussions of the Peggie case depends on the ruling the Dundee tribunal issues, which could be fully or partly in favour of one side or the other, and the similarity of circumstances in future cases. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Either way, the outcome will be consequential, not least because there is little in the way of existing case law around the question of workplace changing rooms. And although judgements in Scottish tribunals are not binding in England, Wales or Northern Ireland due to the separate legal jurisdictions, they can be used as persuasive arguments by the parties involved. One legal source familiar with the Peggie case said in the event the judgement goes to appeal - a process that could end up in the Supreme Court - the outcome could set a legal precedent similar to that seen in the case of Ms Forstater's High Court appeal win against an employment tribunal in 2021, which found her gender-critical beliefs fell under the Equality Act. Above all, the source said, the Peggie case would be a 'cautionary example' to public bodies 'not to play fast and loose with the law and its interpretations'. Nurse Sandie Peggie, centre, alongside Maya Forstater, left, and employment lawyer, Margaret Gribbon, outside the Scottish Parliament after a meeting with MSPs in June. Picture: PA | PA Such developments could prove important in a case such as that brought to a Newcastle tribunal by a group of nurses, who are challenging the decision by the NHS foundation trust in County Durham and Darlington to allow one of their trans colleagues to use female changing rooms. The group has filed claims at an employment tribunal on the grounds of sexual harassment, discrimination, victimisation and breaches of the right to a private life, under article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case is not scheduled to be heard until October. But it has been reported the Royal College of Nursing has urged the trust to comply with statutory provisions laid down in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which require all changing rooms to be male or female-only except when they are 'single lockable rooms'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Smith said if Ms Peggie wins her case, it will become all the more important for health boards, and Scottish ministers, to ensure they are complying with existing legislation. 'The immediate implications for the NHS in Scotland will be to ensure that they have lawful policies,' she said. 'It might focus minds at health boards that they are going to have to take some responsibility for sorting things out. They can't leave these kinds of policies to graduates with no background in law or human resources, and they're going to have to review all their policies for staff and patients. 'They are responsible whether they like it or not' 'Ever since the Supreme Court ruling, we have been pushing the government on policies which we don't regard as lawful, especially around schools and prisons. Their argument a lot of the time is that these organisations, like the NHS, are arms-length and that it's not up to the government to provide guidance, even though they've done just that in the past. They are responsible whether they like it or not.' Ms Smith added: 'A lot of organisations are putting off any changes because of the false narrative that's been created, which says the ruling is not law until the statutory guidance is approved by Parliament. But that's utter rubbish - the law is what the Supreme Court says it is. Unfortunately, a lot of people choose not to believe that.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sandie Peggie | Lisa Ferguson Ms Smith also suggested the intense scrutiny of NHS Fife's processes and practices may prevent other public bodies from contesting similar cases raised at employment tribunals in the future, describing it as a 'real embarrassment' for the health board. 'Even if they were to win at this stage, which I don't think is likely, I am sure it would go to appeal, and ultimately, they would lose,' she said. They have spent a vast amount of taxpayers' money on this, and it's been humiliating to hear some of the evidence, and the gossiping and bitchiness in the workplace. 'I think there'll be more cases and I think there will be more settlements. Wiser lawyers will be telling their clients that it is better for them to swallow whatever disadvantage comes from settling, because they're not going to win in the long term.' Political pressure and cost concerns The Peggie judgement will also have repercussions for NHS Fife. Already, senior figures in Scotland and elsewhere have reflected at length on the case, with many calling for changes even before a judgement is issued. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As part of cross-party condemnation of the health board, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay is among those who have said senior managers should step down over its handling of the case, while SNP MSP Michelle Thomson has called on the members of NHS Fife's board to consider their positions. Elsewhere, Scottish Labour's Carol Mochan has said Holyrood's health committee should investigate the way in which the health board has handled the case. NHS Fife has come under extensive criticism. Picture: Fife Free Press | Fife Free Press That criticism is likely to continue, especially as the costs of defending the tribunal case mount up. NHS Fife has confirmed that as of the end of June, it had spent more than £258,000 on legal costs relating to the tribunal - a sum that includes counsel fees and services provided by NHS Scotland. But given the hearings that have taken place since then, one source suggested the total bill could reach in the region of £500,000 to £700,000 if not more. That sum would exclude any remedy made in Ms Peggie's favour should the health board lose its case. 'The costs of defending such a case, and eventually paying compensation, is likely to be enormous,' Ms Forstater said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire Police arrests 300 for drink- or drug-driving
More than 300 people have been arrested on suspicion of drink or drug-driving by Cambridgeshire Police since included a mother caught drug-driving with her baby in Cambridge and a man who crashed into multiple parked cars in Wisbech. Officers are reminding people they can call a confidential drink- or drug- drive hotline if they have fear someone might be driving under the Adrian Boddington said: "Every drink-drive arrest represents a potential tragedy narrowly avoided, lives that could have been lost or changed forever." The force fears people face "face greater temptations to drink-drive during the summer season, when there are traditionally more planned events"."Please consider a designated driver system or make sure to book taxis in advance, so there is no temptation to drive home while potentially over the limit," PC Boddington said."Before you get behind the wheel please think – is it really worth the risk?Other drink- or drug-drivers caught by Cambridgeshire Police this year included a driver in Peterborough who blew twice over the limit after drinking half a bottle of rum on a night out and a drink-driver who crashed into traffic lights in Huntingdon while twice over the limit. The police force added officers would be "proactively patrolling the county and conducting breathalyser tests this summer". Convicted drivers face a minimum 12-month driving ban and up to six months in prison. The confidential hotline number, available 24 hours a day, is 0800 032 0845. ollow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
