Probe ?900m Monthly Deduction From Salaries

Some Senior and Junior Officers of the Ghana Police Service who are calling themselves ?Concerned Police Officers? have appealed to the President Kufuor and the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on security, to institute a probe into illegal deductions from their salaries at source, amounting to over ? 900,000,000 million every month.

The officers say five different types of compulsory deductions are made from their salaries at source every month.

They are Welfare fund ?50,000.00, Insurance Policy for Bereavement ?5,000.00, Mess fees for senior officers ?10,000.00, retired police officers? guesthouse ?10,000.00/?5,000 and sports fund ?200?.

According to the officers there is about 16,000 police officers currently in the service, as a result, the service generates a minimum of ?900,000,000 every month, which is not accountable to any officer.

They explained that the compulsory deduction of officers? salaries including allowances of officers serving with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations at source started in 1991 while the most recent ones were introduced in 2003 and 2005.

They claim that the deductions, included the allowances of officers serving with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations, and those monies, have not been accounted for.

According to the officers, the various managers of the fund have, since 1991, failed to render any accounts to them as to how the monies are being utilized, despite persistent appeals to them.

They say various Inspectors General of Police (IGP) have also failed to institute either probe or forensic audits into the utilization of the money.

As a result, they have made a special appeal to the Chief Justice to explain to them whether those deductions are legal under the 1992 constitution.

?We want the CJ to come out and tell us whether the 1992 constitution gives power to any organization under the Public Service of Ghana to set up a compulsory scheme and make compulsory deduction from the salaries of public servants,? the officers demanded.

The officers appealed to government ?as a matter of urgency?, to stop the deductions and cause a forensic audit to be conducted into their origin, administration and operations.?