A senior PSNI officer has rejected suggestions that some police officers are protecting loyalist drugs dealers because they were also acting as informants.
PSNI assistant chief constable Drew Harris said he was "stunned" by comments by the DUP Minister of Health Edwin Poots today that on occasions the police may "turn a blind" eye to certain drug dealers.
He made his comments in the wake of eight unexplained deaths in Northern Ireland in recent weeks. It is suspected that most if not all of the victims died as a result of taking contaminated ecstasy-type drugs.
The deaths led to some unionist politicians and community representatives privately claiming that the police were turning a blind eye to some loyalist drugs dealers who may have supplied the drugs.
DUP health Minister Mr Poots was much more explicit today when he suggested police may sometimes tactically allow minor drugs dealers go about their business while also acting as informants in an attempt to apprehend more senior criminals.
"On some occasions they may, for example, turn a blind eye on a drug dealer…in an attempt to get the drug dealer who supplies the drug dealers," Mr Poots told BBC Radio Ulster's Stephen Nolan Show.
“I am making it very clear to the police as Minister of Health that they need to pursue these guys vigorously. They need to go after them, they need to get the information from the community, the communities need to cooperate, and we need to put these people behind bars for a long period of time,” he added.
People with some credibility had made such allegations, he said. “Police need to be very clear that drug dealing is something that is pernicious, something that we wish to eradicate and they will not give cover to people engaged in drug dealing for information perhaps on other things,” added Mr Poots.
Most of the eight deaths occurred in loyalist or unionist areas - seven in the greater Belfast area and five of these in east Belfast, and one in Coleraine in Co Derry - leading to political allegations that the UVF and UDA had supplied the suspected fatal ecstasy-type drugs.
“It is time that paramilitaries who claim to be protecting their communities stop poisoning their communities,” said Mr Poots.
The PSNI assistant chief constable Drew Harris said he was “stunned” by the Minister’s comments that on occasions police were “turning a blind eye” to some low-level drug dealers.
Mr Harris said the allegation that police were shielding drug dealers was a “myth”.
“It doesn’t happen here,” he insisted. “We do not protect individuals who are dealing in drugs.”
He said he could “100 per cent” rule out such allegations. “This myth of us protecting small-time drug dealers is just what I have said - a complete myth.”
He said police still used informants but they did not turn a blind eye to drug dealing. “We do not tolerate criminality,” said Mr Harris.
He indicated he would be raising the allegation with Mr Poots. “I am stunned that he believes we are involved in behaviour which that is both unlawful and unethical,” said Mr Harris.
Police are still waiting on toxicology reports to determine if all 8 people died from contaminated illegal drugs. Mr Poots said it normally took 30-60 days for such reports to be completed but that those carrying out the examinations had been asked to expedite their work.