By Laurie Watson

A TAYSIDE Police officer was arrested yesterday over serious criminal allegations against him.

Last night it emerged police had imposed an information blackout on the case, warning officers not to dig any further into the allegations or seek the identity of the officer.

The 27-year-old constable, who has not been named, was arrested at his Dundee home yesterday morning after an inquiry by the force’s professional standards department.

He has since been reported to the procurator fiscal and is expected to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday. Police said last night that it would now be for the procurator fiscal to decide what course of action should follow.

Efforts to conceal the constable’s identity and the exact details of the allegations against him extended throughout the force.

Police sources said police HQ at Bell Street, Dundee, was buzzing with news of the arrest after every officer received an Email late yesterday afternoon informing them of the shock development.

However, the contents of the Email appear to have been the same as those released to the media and did not contain any details about the constable or the allegations.

The Email to officers also warned against trying to find out any further information about the incident.

Tayside Police Deputy Chief Constable Kevin Mathieson, who leads the professional standards department, said, “Members of the public entrust the police service to uphold the law with the highest standards of integrity and we take very seriously our duty to preserve that level of trust.”

Mr Mathieson added, “Where there is any evidence of wrongdoing by a police officer we are absolutely committed to taking robust and positive action to investigate the circumstances and report the findings to the procurator fiscal.

“Whilst I cannot comment on this individual case, I can confirm that criminal allegations of this nature are exceptionally rare and the vast majority of our police officers and support staff act with integrity and honesty day in and day out.

“Our collective dismay at this alleged criminal act of a police officer is only tempered by our resolve to ensure that we robustly investigate any such allegations and retain public trust and confidence in our ability to uphold the law.”