POLICE tactics during the G8 summit were facing fresh criticism last night, as it emerged the Crown has dropped the prosecution of a series of protesters.
The procurator-fiscal's office in Perth has confirmed it will not proceed with breach of the peace charges against five people who were due to appear in the town's sheriff court today.
The case against the four men and one woman is understood to have cost taxpayers thousands of pounds in legal costs. A second case against fourBelgians, due to go to trial next week, has also been abandoned.
Aamer Anwar, spokesman for the G8 Alternatives group, said last night that he estimated about 100 people arrested during the G8 have had their cases dropped.
"It seems to me to have been a hell of a waste of taxpayer's money, " he said, calling for an inquiry into police tactics during the July meeting of the world's most powerful leaders.
The protests led to 358 arrests across central Scotland, and violent clashes between police and demonstrators in Edinburgh, Stirling and Gleneagles. At one stage, extra officers were flown into the hotel grounds by Chinook helicopters.
However, Mr Anwar said the five people due in Perth had not been
arrested for alleged violence. He said: "Thesewere not hardened criminals. They were some of the politest people I have ever dealt with, being arrested on minor breach of the peace charges."
Because many of the arresting officers were drafted in from English forces, it is believed prosecutors decided it would be too expensive to bring them back to Scotland to testify in cases likely to result in minor fines. There is also little appetite for expensive pursuits of protesters from overseas on minor charges.
The Scottish Socialist party, whose members helped organise the main protest in Auchterarder on the first day of the summit, said the dropping of the cases showed police had overreacted. A spokesman said: "We always knew a lot of the arrests were extremely spurious . . . It was a complete overreaction."
Kenny MacAskill, SNP justice spokesman, said: "I think questions need to be asked about why these people were not simply booted out after a night in the cells and told to stay away."
The Crown Office was unable to comment on Mr Anwar's estimate of 100
cases dropped.
With regard to the Perth cases, a spokesman denied there had been a policy decision to drop G8 cases en masse. He said:
"Having considered all the facts and circumstances, the procurator-fiscal decided that it would be appropriate to discontinue proceedings in these particular cases."
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