Mr Cahill one of the top gay officers at Met Police and was awarded MBE

Officer also arrested on suspicion of drink-drive offence in south London

Chief inspector arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply

A senior police officer has been arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs.

Chief Inspector Paul Cahill, 43, was allegedly found slumped over the wheel of his car.

He has previously worked as a tactical adviser to the Metropolitan Police firearms unit, one of the toughest roles in policing.

An outspoken campaigner for gay rights, he was awarded an MBE for services to diversity in the 2003 New Year Honours.

The officer, who has been named in press reports as chief inspector Paul Cahill (pictured), was arrested in Wandsworth Road, south west London, after reportedly being found 'slumped over the wheel of his car'

Cahill was arrested last Monday, December 1, after being found in his car in Wandsworth, South-West London. Colleagues found what they believed to be a stash of drugs during a search of the vehicle and his pockets.

He was arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and driving while unfit through alcohol or drugs.

Cahill was taken to a police station and released on bail pending forensic tests on the substances seized. It is understood that further suspicious substances, also believed to be Class A drugs, were found during a search of his home.

The drugs have not been specified but Class A includes cocaine and heroin. Tattooed Cahill is a senior officer in Westminster, where he leads a proactive unit cracking down on crimes including drug dealing in the West End and Soho.

He joined the police in the 1990s and later revealed that it was ‘virtually not acceptable to be gay’. He became a gay icon when he appeared on the front cover of Gay Times in full sergeant’s uniform in 1997, the year after he had been the victim of a homophobic attack.

He was also chairman of the Gay Police Association for more than a decade.

He made his mark by working as a liaison officer with Soho’s vibrant gay community.

Chief inspector Cahill was part of the Met Police's Westminster borough command and led a team carrying out pro-active operations to clamp down on crime, including drug offences, in the West End and Soho

One move was to use gay officers to forge closer links with pubs and clubs around Old Compton Street in the aftermath of the Soho nail bombing in 1999.

He was nominated for an MBE by the then commissioner, Sir John Stevens, because of the success of his work. The honour was for ‘services to diversity in the police and the wider community’.