Another police officer on assault charge

A SECOND Tayside Police officer has been charged as a result of the probe into the activities of the force’s drugs squad.

The 27-year-old male officer is not a member of the drugs squad and has not been suspended from duty.

A spokeswoman for the force confirmed yesterday, however, that he had been charged in relation to alleged assault in a circumstance uncovered as part of the Grampian Police investigation of the tayside drugs squad, and a report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.

She would reveal no further details of the case as inquiries by Grampian officers are still in progress.

Yesterday, The Courier exclusively revealed that a 40-year-old male Tayside drugs squad officer was suspended in January and charged in relation to alleged assaults after a team from Grampian Police were brought in to investigate “matters of concern” about how some Tayside drugs officers went about their duties.

The concer ns were flagged up by senior Tayside officers who consulted the procurator fiscal before calling in Grampian officers for an independent investigation.

Senior Tayside officers are understood to have discovered procedures were not being properly followed and corners were allegedly being cut by members of their drugs squad.

They became concerned that if that behaviour continued unchallenged, prosecutions and ultimately justice could be compromised. It was against that background that Grampian Poliuce were called in to investigate and the allegations of assault surfaced.

Neither the 40-year-old nor the 27-year-old have yet appeared in court.

Grampian Police would not comment on their investigation or the charges against two tayside officers, and referred all inquiries to Tayside headquarters in Dundee.

Last night Dundee City West MSP Joe Fitzpatrick said: “The public will be concerned to hear that a second Tayside officer has now been charged in relation to alleged assault.

“I am pleased that the procurator fiscal has acted promptly.

“It is very important that a full investigation is conducted so that the public’s confidence in the high standards of tayside’s police force can be restored.”