The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) says it has interdicted the serviceman implicated in a physical confrontation with an elderly man in the Tawes Pen community of St Catherine.

The police disclosed that the latest move comes as the Inspectorate and Professional Oversight Bureau (IPROB) opened an internal probe into the incident, which Jamaicans on social media have decried as excessive use of force.

The short video clip begins during what appears to be a police operation, where residents can be heard clamouring as the policeman kicks a man, who identified himself as an 80-year-old, to the ground.

Warning shots rang out in the background as the video pans to another angle; the policeman, back turned to the recording camera, shouts expletives at the man, insisting he ‘go home’ as the man repeatedly stumbles to find his footing.

The man, accused of being disorderly, asks the policeman, “A weh mi do?”, to which he was slapped in the face, and the cop hurled expletives, urging him to leave as instructed.

Backed into a small shop, the policeman lands blows on the man, who questions what he has done to deserve such treatment.

The JCF, in a statement, said it was aware of the viral social media video and wished to “assure Jamaicans that this matter is being treated with the utmost urgency and seriousness”.

“As such, the officer involved has been placed on interdiction pending the outcome of a thorough investigation. The JCF does not condone any form of misconduct or abuse of authority by its members, and the actions portrayed in the video do not reflect the professional standards and core values upheld by the organisation,” the police added.