Alan Ferguson is a Detective Constable with Police Scotland. During his 29 years of Police service he has dealt with drug users, dealers and importers of drugs at all levels of criminality. He has a total of 25 years’ experience dedicated exclusively to the policing of controlled drugs.
Alan currently provides statements of opinion to Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to drug cases where amounts and or circumstances indicate drug dealing by the accused. He also provides advice to other officers, and partner agencies with regard to drug evidence and procedures. This role also involves myself attending drug crime scenes such as tableting sites where criminals illicitly mass produced Benzodiazepine tablets.
Upon the identification of issues in relation to illicitly produced Benzodiazepine tablets within Scotland, Alan started collating information on current tablet trends by viewing all relevant productions at the Drugs Laboratory within the Scottish Crime Campus at Gartcosh. As a follow-up to this work, he created a ‘living document’ now on the Force Intranet, providing frontline officers with up to date intelligence on the illicit tablets circulating in Scottish communities along with images and what they have previously contained. His research in this area has also proven useful to the Scottish Government’s NPS Centre for Excellence as well as researchers at Dundee University and during June 2018 he provided an input on the subject to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) in Lisbon, Portugal .
Alan regularly provides evidence in The High Court, Sheriff & Jury Court and Sheriff Courts throughout Scotland in relation to cases involving production, importation, onward sale or supply of controlled drugs.