| The politician was concerned after a cocaine addict who embezzled more than £27,000 to feed her habit told Dundee Sheriff Court she had become introduced to the drug by colleagues while working in the Tayside Police control room.
An agent for Carol McLaren (40) said his client embezzled the funds from her second job with a local funeral director and stole money from charity collections at funerals to pay for her £400-a-week habit.
McLaren’s solicitor George Donnelly told the court the woman’s addiction had started after colleagues in the control room took her on a night out to a Dundee pub “with the specific intention of introducing her to the drug”.
Mr Donnelly told Sheriff Duff that while she was addicted to cocaine, various police officers — detectives and uniformed officers — would phone McLaren and invite themselves to her flat and “for want of a better word, abuse her”.
In the wake of the allegations Mr FitzPatrick today called for further reassurance that this investigation had been carried out thoroughly.
He told the Tele, “I am concerned at any inference of drugs misuse within Tayside Police force and will be writing to the Chief Constable to seek reassurance that their internal ‘thorough and detailed investigation’, which found that the allegations were unsubstantiated, did cover all incidents alleged to have occurred, since I note that further contact is being made with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service.
“I note that Tayside Police operate a stringent substance misuse policy and seek reassurance on these matters.”
Sentencing her to 12 months in prison, Sheriff Duff said, “During his plea in mitigation Mr Donnelly referred to two matters which I found very concerning.
“The first was the alleged activities of the proprietors and patrons of an unnamed Dundee public house.
“The second was the alleged behaviour towards the accused of unidentified Tayside Police officers.
“I trust these assertions have been noted by the procurator fiscal and will be investigated further by the relevant authorities.”
Dundee West MP Jim McGovern today expressed confidence in the police inquiry.
“I participated in the police parliamentary scheme from 2005 to 2006 which involved local MPs working with the local police,” he said.
“That scheme involved spending time with the drug squad too, and in my view Tayside Police treat drug abuse very seriously indeed.
“Because they treat it so seriously I’m sure an internal investigation will have been carried out thoroughly.”
A spokesman for Tayside Police said the force was “deeply concerned” by the version of events offered in court as it was “not consistent with a thorough and detailed investigation undertaken at the time under the direction of the Deputy Chief Constable”.
He added the claims were thoroughly investigated by a senior detective, who interviewed a number of staff and found all the allegations to be unsubstantiated.
He assured Sheriff Duff that all the allegations had been noted by police and said, “We are already speaking further with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service and will make contact with any other people as necessary.”
A Crown Office spokesman told the Tele, “We note the comments of the sheriff.” |
