A SENIOR judge has called for Gwent's chief constable, Keith Turner, to launch an urgent investigation into allegations his officers use "unlawful tactics" to tackle drunk or unruly people.

Judge John Griffith Williams spoke out after jailing PC Michael Metcalfe (jailed) for three months for attacking a teenager.

Metcalfe is the second officer from the Gwent force to be jailed for violence in the last year - PC Christopher Timmins was sentenced to 28 days in September for the unprovoked attack on former champion boxer Bradley Pryce, in Newport.

Yesterday Cardiff crown court heard that: Metcalfe and two other officers drove Carl Symonds to a remote industrial estate car park.

Once there, Metcalfe attacked the youth, who later needed hospital treatment for his injuries.

Two officers, with Metcalfe, lied to jurors about what happened that night.

The Gwent force has a "tactic" of taking intoxicated and unruly prisoners in a van some distances from their homes and making them walk back "to teach them a lesson".

Jailing Metcalfe, the judge told him: "You over-reacted and you abused your position as a police officer."

And he added: "The sooner the chief constable investigates the matter, the better."

Today Gwent Police told the Argus an immediate inquiry has been launched into the judge's concerns.