Jamaica Defence Force soldiers, unlike their counterparts in the Jamaica Constabulary Force, are not usually seen in bars while on duty.

A SUNDAY Gleaner investigation has revealed that some members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), including high-ranking officers, are unable to resist the pull of the bottle. While on duty, they have been observed drinking alcoholic beverages, which constitutes a serious breach of the police professional code of conduct.

While roving in Kingston and St Andrew over a two-month period, our team witnessed several armed, uniformed police officers hanging out in bars, their high-powered rifle in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other.

However, not all police officers go to the bar to drink while on duty. Our stake-outs reveal cops parking service vehicles on sidewalks and visiting bars for camaraderie and a few laughs before leaving.

breach of the law

Imbibing alcohol though, while working, is a breach of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Human Rights and Police Use of Force and Firearms Policy.

The policy says: "Members of the JCF carrying firearms should not consume or be under the influence of alcohol." It further states: "The consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs in medical treatment or otherwise may reduce the alertness and performance of a member."

While joint police/military operations are a given in the Corporate Area, we did not observe any soldiers consuming alcohol while on the job. On one such stake-out in a volatile community, while the policemen, decked out in navy blue denim with high-powered weapons and handguns by their sides, drank at a corner bar, the soldiers were seen patrolling the area, taking up strategic positions on the outside.

Like the police, soldiers are not allowed to drink alcohol on the job. "The standard operational procedures with regards to drinking alcoholic beverages is that it is not allowed while they (the soldiers) are on operational duty, and this is every time a soldier goes out on the road with his weapon," Major Charlene Steer, civil military affairs officer at the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), told our news team.

Checks by The Sunday Gleaner reveal that when an allegation is made against an officer caught consuming alcohol on the job, a report is forwarded to the commanding officer, who then forwards it to the inspector general. The branch then investigates the allegation, which is then heard in a court of enquiry. Each case is judged on its own merit and the punishment could lead to dismissal.

rehabilitative programme

Rev Vivian Panton, the chaplain for the JCF, tells The Sunday Gleaner that based on his experience, alcoholism is not a problem within the JDF. He says that when officers are found to have that problem they are entered in a rehabilitative programme. He, however, did not give any statistics of the number of officers who have been placed in such a facility, adding that he has not seen where officers have been drinking on the job.

At the same time, two corporate area bartenders told our news team that police officers are some of their best customers. Tamara, 27, said that police officers are the category of professionals who mostly visit her bar, but points out that her "police customers" do not drink during their work hours.

duty of the 'top cop'

Commenting on the issue, National Security Minister, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, says that he expects the 'top cop' to deal with these breaches. "Where there is any breach of force policy, I expect the commissioner of police to deal appropriately and effectively with them.

"Where evidence is provided that breaches are occurring with regularity and there is inaction in dealing with them, my concern would be whether the policies are adequate to deal with breaches of discipline and if not, how best to strengthen them," MacMillan says.

He tells The Sunday Gleaner that consumption of alcohol during work hours was never a serious problem when he sat at the helm of the police force as commissioner.

Meanwhile, no response was forthcoming to several queries, including an email sent to the office of the commissioner of police regarding the matter.