Police in Amsterdam are complaining over new rules banning them from
smoking cannabis while off duty.
Officers in the Dutch capital, famous for its liberal drugs laws, have
been told they must set the public "a good moral example".
The ban, due to come into effect on January 1, will make the force the
first in the Netherlands to bar officers from using drugs when not at work.
Frank Gittay, the city’s police council chairman, said: "Until now
police were only banned from showing up for work stoned or drunk.
"But now we are telling officers they should also behave like the police
at all times.
"That means not taking drugs and not getting excessively drunk whether
on or off duty."
But Dutch police union chairman Hans van Duijn said: "Many of our
members are opposed to this.
"They are not paid for 24-hours a day. What they do in their free time
is up to them."
