Police Council accused of allegedly undermining Police Administration

The Police Council is being accused of creating disaffection for the top police hierarchy by creating non-existing positions to appease officers who were not promoted in the recent promotions in the service.

The action of the Council is said to be against the recommendation of the Appointment and Promotions Advisory Board, the body responsible for promotions.

Promotion of a senior officer is done by the Police Council upon the recommendation of the Appointment and Promotions Advisory Board.

Insiders told The Finder that the action of the Police Council undermines the authority of the entire police administration.

The Appointment and Promotions Advisory Board made it clear to the Police Council in its recommendation for recent promotions that all persons due for promotions could not be promoted because of lack of vacancies.

However, some officers petitioned President John Dramani Mahama alleging selective justice in the promotions, which the police administration has denied.

Information available to The Finder indicates that the Police Council has now created positions to promote the complaining officers.

The Finder’s investigations revealed that for the first time in its history, the Police Council has decoupled the Police Hospital from the structure of the police hierarchy.

This means positions being occupied by senior officers at the Police Hospital in the police hierarchy have now become vacant and would be filled by the promotion of the complaining officers who petitioned the President.

The insiders expressed the fear that any attempt to promote all qualified officers in wholesale would breach the number specified by the CI 76, the regulation that governments the Police Service.

According to them, it would also mean that more supervisors would be packed at the top with its attendant financial burden on government, instead of a few.

The insiders told The Finder that wholesale promotions being encouraged by the Police Council would only breed laziness as officers, whether performing or not, would agitate for promotions once they clock the stipulated minimum year for promotion and pass promotion examinations.

The worried senior officers explained that the stipulated minimum year is just one of the numerous criteria used for promotions.

In addition, the senior officers who are not happy with the action of the Police Council told The Finder that performance, promotion examination, integrity, good conduct and seniority are all factors considered for promotions.

The senior officers were worried that most officers only focus on the minimum year and passing promotion examination even when they fall short of the other factors.

FACTORS FOR PROMOTION

Promotion examination

Seniority and length of years served, subject to satisfactory performance assessment of good conduct; or special recommendation based on meritorious acts of bravery or valour in the prevention of crime or outstanding performance of duty.

A senior officer, under whom an officer is working, may also recommend him/her for promotion to the Appointment and Promotions Advisory Board for Consideration.

In this regard, the recommending officer may take the following into consideration:

Integrity and good conduct

Efficiency, attitude towards work and sense of responsibility;

Experience and capacity for co-operation with other officers; Initiative and creativity;

Ability to offer leadership.

Seniority Whether the officer has served the required number of years in the relevant post.

Since the Police Administration is being regulated by the CI 76, neither the IGP nor the Police Council has the power to promote personnel to ranks beyond the number that has been stipulated by law.

Per Constitutional Instrument (CI) 76, the Police Administration has IGP sitting at the top, two deputy IGPs, 10 commissioners, 20 Deputy Commissioners (DCOP), about 60 Assistant Commissioners (ACP), Chief Superintendents, Superintendents and Deputy Superintendents (DSP) down to the constable at the base of the pyramid.

The promotion can only be effected if there is a vacancy in the rank the officer should be promoted to.

Some of the senior officers in the rank of DCOPs are due for promotion to Commissioners but because there are no vacancies at the rank of Commissioners, they are still on the rank of DCOP. The same applies to those who are due for promotion from the rank of ACP to DCOPs.

Currently, over 60 Chief Superintendents are due for promotion to the rank of ACP, but the administration has vacancies for only eight officers.

The promotion of a senior officer is done by the Police Council upon the recommendation of the Appointment and Promotions Advisory Board while promotion of officers of the rank of Chief Inspectors or below is by the IGP on the recommendation of the Appointment and Promotion Advisory Board.