‘Insult for troops who obey rules’
out over drugs are being told they can re-enlist just two years after their most recent offence. The only proviso is that they agree to be drug-tested as soon as they return to service.
Last night, MPs and anti-drug campaigners warned of a significant risk in recruiting known drug users, while the move has caused uproar among troops past and present. Falklands War hero Simon Weston, 57, said: ‘I am truly appalled by this decision. That troops who have been discharged for taking drugs can qualify for jobs which come with £10,000 golden hellos, and keep their old ranks, adds insult to injury.’
The former Welsh Guardsman, who suffered terrible burns during the 1982 conflict, added: ‘It is such a kick in the teeth for long-serving soldiers who have obeyed the rules and resisted temptation to see former colleagues who displayed such a lack of discipline and a lack of respect for the Army’s values swanning back into their regiments. Drugs are incompatible with military life, soldiers should know that.
‘I know people deserve second chances but bringing back drug-takers just two years after they were caught is a step too far for me. We have to stomach it because the Government has made such a terrible mess of managing Army recruitment.’
One serving soldier added: ‘It’s unfair for many reasons. We’ve obeyed the rules while they behaved irresponsi bly. Yet t hey can come back in at the same rank as they left. That is ridiculous. I wouldn’t have said no to a couple of years off if I knew I could come back with no loss of seniority and a golden hello. The Army is acting like one of those banks that forgets its existing customers and gives all the nice offers to new customers.’
Former Labour Shadow Defence Minister Kevan Jones said: ‘ Ministers should address the recruitment crisis and not jeopardise operational effectiveness by changing drugs policy to hide its failings.’
David Raynes of the National Drug Prevention Alliance said that the Army’s drug culture stemmed from the increasingly soft attitude towards drug taking in civilian society. Last month, The Mail on Sunday revealed footage of uniformed British soldiers appearing to take cocaine inside their military accommodation. The videos were shared on a Facebook page called ‘The Sesh’ on which one soldier wrote: ‘Hope everyone is as high as me. Ket [ketamine] and coke equals happy Wednesday.’
And Coldstream Guardsman Charanpreet Singh Lall, the first to wear a turban during Trooping the Colour, was last month reported to have tested positive for cocaine.
Mr Raynes said: ‘There is a high risk here. We cannot afford to create a situation whereby recreational drug use is part of the culture of someone who is, say, part of the crew of a drone. He cannot do his job if he is under the influence of drugs.’
Of the re-recruitment of drug users, he added: ‘This is unsurprising as it reflects society’s attitude towards drug taking.’
To combat the Army’s manpower crisis, defence chiefs have spent £22 million on golden hellos to try to tempt retired troops to fill hundreds of highly technical roles needed to maintain weaponry.
In total, 175 specific jobs come with fivefigure golden hello payments.
This newspaper has also revealed how the Army has drawn up plans to use recruits who are yet to complete their training in national emergencies, a policy which could see trainee troops coming face-to-face with armed jihadis.
The situation has worsened since the MoD contracted out recruitment to the firm Capita in 2012. Since then, the time it takes to join the Army after expressing an i nterest has gone from three months to 12, causing thousands of potential recruits to take jobs elsewhere instead.
Last night Tory MP Julian Lewis, the chairman of t he Defence Select Committee, said: ‘While it is right to give second chances to suitable candidates, the priority must be to fix a broken recruitment system.’
The Ministry of Defence said it did not have figures for how many ex-soldiers previously discharged for taking drugs had now returned to the Army.
Between 2005 and 2015 the Army booted out around 500 soldiers a year for drugs offences. The figure has dipped since then as commanders have been more lenient.
A spokesman said: ‘We have always welcomed applications from individuals whose circumstances have changed since leaving the Army. Those re-applying must meet our high standards to re-join, and applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.’