A senior police officer is expressing concern over the ability of the Jamaica Constabulary Force to find suitable persons to meet future recruitment needs, in light of the continued use of skin bleaching creams by many young people.

Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for Area One, Donovan Graham expressed alarm at the rate at which the country’s youth embrace a culture of bleaching, in an attempt to meet substandard images and lifestyles.

ACP Graham says the use of bleaching creams and the engraving of tattoos are a concern, as the practice puts a strain on the ability of the force to find persons suitable to serve as police officers.

Speaking at the recent Kiwanis Club of Montego Bay installation ceremony in St. James, the senior officer noted that the police force is suffering from haemorrhaging, with about 3 hundred persons leaving it annually.

ACP Graham is calling on members of the Kiwanis Club, along with other service clubs across western Jamaica, to help deter the youth away from these unhealthy activities.