PC Ashley Clark is among just 13 officers chosen to sit on the Drugs Expert Witnesses and Valuation Association (DEWVA) committee. The Substance Misuse officer was selected for the role after submitting his CV and application form. The DEWVA committee meets four times a year, plus the annual DEWVA conference, but also has monthly communications. Set up in 2009, the committee provides professional development opportunities for officers through national and regional seminars in line with the legal definition of an expert witness. It also looks to promote the role of Drugs Expert Witness, ensuring that officers get the appropriate support from supervisors and forces to maintain and develop their knowledge. PC Clark’s supervisor Sergeant Graham Whitt said: “I am absolutely chuffed to bits with Ash becoming a committee panel member on DEWVA. “Not only is this prestigious position a reflection on Ash’s professional competence, hard work and value as a Drugs Expert Witness, but it is also a reflection on the high level of work completed by all of Nottinghamshire Police’s drugs experts as a whole. “Having Ash on the committee means that Notts Police will have a real say in how drugs experts work is developed throughout the country and ensures that we are at the forefront of this essential work moving forwards.” PC Clark, a former Response cop who became a Drugs Expert Witness in 2019, said he was delighted to land a role on the committee. He said: “The purpose of the committee is to help guide and advise drugs experts nationally, of which there’s over 1,000 members, with best practice in providing independent and unbiased reports for court. “I applied for a place on it because I’m keen to make real change and improve how policing manage drugs and organised crime investigations. “I’m really pleased and am looking forward to the first meeting, which will be in February.