An impaired driving charge brought against a St. John's-area police officer is deeply disturbing, an advocate with Mothers Against Drunk Driving said Thursday.

"It was [a reaction] of sadness first, and then anger, and shock, I guess," Christine Care, president of MADD's Avalon chapter, said while describing her reaction to revelations that an unidentified Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer has been charged and suspended.

"[We work] with police to try and get the message out there that we should not drink and drive … If anyone has a position in this regard, it would be the RNC, or any police."

The RNC announced Wednesday that an officer — who will not be identified before making a first appearance in provincial court in St. John's on Feb. 15 — also faces a charge of refusing a breathalyzer.

"To refuse a breathalyzer is just another shock," Care said in an interview.

Nonetheless, Care said MADD Avalon expects to still have a close working relationship with the RNC in promoting safe driving practices.

The officer has been suspended with pay while an internal investigation proceeds. A criminal investigation is continuing.

The RNC announced Wednesday that an unidentified officer was pulled over on Saturday night on Pitts Memorial Drive, near the Kilbride turnoff. The RNC said it responded to a tip about an apparently drunk driver who had been on Duckworth Street, in downtown St. John's.

"He's a police officer and we take impaired driving very seriously. It's a serious offence," deputy chief Robert Johnston said.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association, which represents non-management officers within the force, said the charged officer is not one of their members.