QUEBEC — The president of the Canadian Police Association is questioning the decision of a police force to ask recruits to take a lie-detector test before they are hired.

Quebec City municipal police has hired a private company to conduct a polygraph in order to improve screening for drug use.

CPA president Charles Momy, who headed the RCMP polygraph unit for seven years, said these tests are not 100 per cent reliable and it’s the reason why they are not admissible in court.

“You could be eliminating very good candidates because the polygraph is not foolproof,” Momy said in an interview.

He noted the polygraph test can be a useful tool, but stressed when it comes to recruiting the best results can be achieved through a tight interview and investigation process.

“You can obtain probably a lot more information from recruits that way than going the polygraph route. And I say that even as a former polygraph examiner,” said Momy, who heads the association that represents 57,000 police personnel across Canada serving at different levels.