Tweedledum and tweedledee to go head to head

The following was originally part of my post the other day about mistrust in public life and a degree of self-doubt as regards trying to highlight such issues, particularly by way of the arguably futile pursuit of blogging, but the post got a bit too long. However, the question is, perhaps, why stick your head above the parapet if the only people likely to pay any real attention are those likely to be offended? Anyway, there's always something that comes along to dissipate any lack of motivation.

Thus to one such minor example last weekend, apropos a local issue which made the national press:

Explosive courtroom claims that a 40-year-old cocaine addict was hooked on the drug by colleagues in the Tayside Police control room and suffered abuse at the hands of serving officers were not borne out by a high-level internal probe, a force spokesman said yesterday.

[The accused's solicitor] said she had been taken on a night out by colleagues to a Dundee pub “with the specific intention of introducing her to the drug.” Around the time she was addicted to cocaine she was contacted by various police officers—detectives and uniformed officers—who knew the extent of her addiction but would phone her and invite themselves up to her flat and “for want of a better word, abuse her,” Mr Donnelly said.

Sounds a bit far-fetched. A cocaine addict just sent to prison for embezzling £27,000 during her subsequent employment with a funeral director - hardly the most reliable witness, right? Indeed, the Courier's report goes on:

A Tayside Police spokesman said the force was “deeply concerned” by the version of events offered in court on McLaren’s behalf as it was “not consistent with a thorough and detailed investigation undertaken at the time under the direction of the deputy chief constable.

“Certain allegations were thoroughly investigated by a senior detective officer, during which a number of staff were interviewed. The allegations were found to be unsubstantiated."

And yet more reassurance in the shape of Dundee West MP Jim McGovern, who told the Evening Telegraph:

I participated in the police parliamentary scheme from 2005 to 2006 which involved local MPs working with the local police. 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.

Well that's OK then - Jim knows the polis so everything must be hunky dory. But hardly had that edition of the Tele been adorning the fish suppers in Dundee when it was reported:

Two further Tayside Police civilian officers have been caught up in the cocaine scandal, with one believed to have left the force, while another was dismissed but won reinstatement on appeal after similar allegations.

Mr McGovern's slightly uncritical approach brought to mind Dundee councillor Jim Barrie's fawning remarks relating to the City Council's social work department in the wake of the killing of toddler Brandon Muir at the hands of a drug addict, which turned out to be slightly misplaced.

Which is an unfortunate comparison, because in a few week's time the SNP's Mr Barrie will be challenging Labour's Mr McGovern for the Dundee West seat at Westminster, and it looks like a two-horse race between the tweedledum and tweedledee of genuflection.

At least MSPs Joe Fitzpatrick for the SNP and Bill Aitken for the Tories seem to be asking some slightly more searching questions of Tayside Police, but although this issue will no doubt soon amount to little more than fish supper wrappers as well, in the meantime it will do little to enhance public trust in politicians and officialdom.