A SENIOR firearms officer has broken his ten-year silence to launch a stinging criticism of the police handling of the North-East's most infamous murders.

Almost a decade since Albert Dryden was convicted of gunning down council official Harry Collinson, former Sgt David Blackie has revealed the inside story of the police response to the shooting.

His accusations include serious concerns among fellow tactical firearms advisors that they were not consulted before the shooting at Butsfield, near Consett, County Durham.

His criticism is contained in a book raising questions as to why the armed response vehicle was based at Consett Police Station on June 20, 1991, and not nearer the scene of the shooting.

Dryden, now 61, is serving a life sentence for the murder of Harry Collinson, who was chief planning officer at Derwentside District Council.

The peaceful family man was shot at point-blank range in front of horrified reporters, council workers, and police officers as he arrived to tell the former steelworker the bungalow he had built without planning permission in remote countryside was to be bulldozed.

Extraordinary footage of the shootings, captured by a BBC television crew and Northern Echo photographer Michael Peckett, were beamed to millions across the world.

PC Stephen Campbell was also shot in the lower back and BBC television reporter Tony Belmont was hit in the arm as they fled for their lives.

Mr Blackie, 48, of Barnard Castle, County Durham, was one of four firearms instructors and tactical advisors at Durham Constabulary. He was on an exercise when he was called to Butsfield within minutes of the shooting.

During the research for the book, which Mr Blackie is trying to have published, he has managed to speak to Dryden's sister Elsie, Harry's brother Roy Collinson, a number of police officers and, remarkably, Dryden himself, who granted him a jail interview.

Mr Blackie claims there had been a number of complaints to police about Dryden's violent behaviour and threats in the days leading up to June 20.

He says that disgruntled officers had to press for a police de-brief in the aftermath of the murder, which was eventually held, but police planning for the operation was not discussed.

Mr Blackie wrote: "Many felt that an opportunity had been missed for the constabulary to come to terms with the consequences of an error of judgement which might, or might not, have saved Harry Collinson's life."

Mr Blackie also claims that on-the-ground intelligence was not sought from local police beforehand or from tactical firearms advisors.

He said yesterday: "The theory is, if they had any suspicion of firearms about Dryden, they should have spoken to the people who were experts in the field.

"They were my colleagues and that wasn't done. All I wanted was for someone to stand up and say, 'We got it wrong, let's learn from it and put something in place.'"

Last night, Roy Collinson, Harry's brother, who lives in Stocksfield, Northumberland, said: "The police have said they had no reason to suspect Dryden had a gun because he didn't have a licence for them, but what about all the threats that were made?

"A lot of people just seemed to think the threats would never happen and yet he had a history of firearms.

"I'm just concerned now that Dryden stays in jail."

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary refuted the criticisms and said if they felt it was necessary to have a firearms team at the scene, they would not have allowed the council to go ahead with the planned demolition.

He said officers at the scene of the shooting were local police officers and had knowledge of Dryden, but there was never any evidence the killer kept guns.

Police had viewed Dryden as an "amiable eccentric", and had the armed response vehicle stationed at Consett police station as a back-up for the "unpredictable".