a community constable is keeping his eye on crime and his island congregation's spiritual needs after becoming the first officer in Scotland to be ordained into the clergy.

For his daily bread, Constable Dave Dawson works at South Ronaldsay on Orkney - from a converted coal shed that serves as the Highlands and Islands' smallest police station.

But he now carries out his police duties along with those of a worker priest - a cleric who combines his professional and spiritual life by taking the church's message out into the wider community.

Mr Dawson said yesterday that his ordination at St Olaf's Scottish Episcopal Church in Kirkwall had been an emotional experience.

''It was very moving, the climax of four years of work, soul searching, and self examination,'' he said.

''I believe the ordination of worker priests is an important step for the church. We can't tie God down to buildings and institutions and the church mustn't be seen as an exclusive club. That is, indeed, how it is seen by many outwith the church - but it's important that it is visible in all walks of life.''

The newly-ordained policeman-priest believes his clerical duties, which will be unpaid, are highly compatible with those of a police officer.

''In the police service we come across people who can be seen as the tattered threads of life's rich tapestry,'' he said.

''So as a police officer, I can bring my experiences of working with those marginalised by society to the church. That enriches the church, while my role as a priest fits very nicely with that of a police officer, working for a force committed to improving the wellbeing of people across the Highlands and Islands.''

The Rt Rev Bruce Cameron, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, said: ''The important thing is that we believe that God is to be found everywhere and not just in the church. And through his work as a policeman he will reflect that.''