Scottish police to test CS spray

Two Scottish police forces are to test CS sprays in response to an increase in the number of assaults on officers, it was announced yesterday.

Officers in Strathclyde and Tayside will test the sprays which have already been on trial in England and Wales, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) said.

William Spence, president of Acpos and Chief Constable of Tayside, told a press conference in Edinburgh that more than 10,000 Scottish officers were assaulted in 1995-1996, which resulted in 2,600 days being lost through sickness.

"Although crime has been declining, the number of incidents of assaults on police officers has been increasing," he said. The pilot scheme is expected to be underway by October and to be concluded by next spring, and will involve around 200 officers in Strathclyde and 90 in Dundee. The two forces were chosen because they had the worst records for assaults among Scottish police.