Funding support for languages

PRIMARY and secondary schools in Dundee are set to benefit from thousands of pounds of new investment.

The Scottish Government has allocated £3 million t o suppor t pupils learning additional languages.

From this funding pot, the city council will receive £81,000, while £66,000 will go to Angus Council.

The money will enable every primary school pupil to start learning an additional language in primary one and a second additional language by primary five — and for language learning to continue to the end of S3.

Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn MSP said: “Research shows t hat employers strongly favour candidates with language skills.

“We want t o ensure young Scots are equipped with the skills they need in the global marketplace.

“This is why introducing schoolchildren t o l anguages at a young age and helping them to foster a long-lasting love of languages i s so crucially important.”

Craig Tosh, a well-known former community policeman in Ardler, admitted two charges of resisting arrest and behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.

The 43-year-old, of Constitution Street, Hilltown, was initially charged with six offences and was due to stand trial at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday.

However, following a morning of plea bargaining, he pleaded guilty to two of the lesser charges and not guilty to the remaining four, including three charges of assaulting police officers, which was accepted by the Crown.

He was fined £500 by Sheriff George Way.

The court heard that on December 18 2016, Tosh resisted arrest in West Marketgait by obstructing Constables Matthew Rhind, James Buchanan, Kieran Bradley and Hamish Fenton, and that while being handcuffed he struggled violently, repeatedly shouted and swore at the officers and threatened them with violence and attempted to fight with them before trying to break free.

He also refused to enter a police vehicle at West Marketgait, shouted and swore and uttered threats of violence towards t he officers and demanded to have the cuffs removed.

Tosh admitted another charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear or alarm in that he repeatedly kicked and punched the sides of a police vehicle, repeatedly failed to desist, shouted and swore and made direct threats of violence towards PCs Rhind and Bradley.

A FORMER Dundee policeman has been fined after threatening fellow officers who arrested him following a night out at a casino.