MONTEGO BAY, St James - The Area One police have launched an investigation into allegations that a police constable was among a group of gunmen who held up and robbed a taxi operator in St James on Wednesday night.

The accused policeman has been admitted to hospital under police guard after he showed up at a hospital for medical treatment.

The cab operator was allegedly held up while travelling along the main road in Amity Hall, a deep rural community in St James, at approximately nine o'clock Wednesday night. The hold-up men, the police said, fled into the bushes after an alarm was raised about the robbery.

The accused policeman, whose name is being withheld pending further investigation, allegedly turned up at hospital with his legs broken shortly after the incident. Sources said he told his superiors that he was the victim of a robbery.

The Area One Police hierarchy was yesterday tightlipped on the matter, but Acting Commissioner of Police Clifford Blake told the Observer last night that he had ordered a probe into the incident.

"We are getting conflicting reports to what the policeman said happened, so I have directed Superintendent (Lynford) Gayle (Crime Chief for Area One) to be in charge of the investigations," ACP Blake said.

He added that he was "almost sure" that the Professional Standards Branch would also be called in to assist with the investigations.

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