Pressure mounts on IGP to release original UCC results

The Ghana Police Service has come under renewed pressure to release the official list of officers who passed the recent promotional examinations from Chief Inspector to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), following allegations of examination leakage, bribery and manipulation of the selection process.

Critics say the Police Administration is hiding behind the reputation of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) while refusing to address several other concerns raised over the conduct of the examinations.

Interestingly, reports suggest this is not the first time controversy has surrounded police promotion examinations involving the UCC, with questions being asked as to who actually sets the examination. There are also claims that some Chief Inspectors, ahead of the paper, were attending preparatory classes at the same university for the examinations.

What has further heightened concerns is the allegation that the UCC list, containing the names of more than 7,000 candidates who passed and those who failed the promotional examination, differs from the list reportedly circulated by the Police Administration to Regional Commanders through its Human Resources Directorate.

The pass mark was reportedly pegged at 53 per cent, with the highest score reportedly 75 per cent. There are allegations that names may have been inserted into the final list, with many arguing that the document handed to Regional Commanders differs from the original UCC results, indicating those who passed or failed the examination.

The controversy follows a statement issued by the Police Administration dismissing allegations published by The Herald newspaper regarding exam paper leakage and bribery in the promotion exercise conducted for officers seeking admission to the Police Academy.

In the statement signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police and Director-General of Public Affairs, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, the Service described the allegations as “baseless and without merit”.

“The promotion examination was conducted by the University of Cape Coast, which has a high reputation with a proven track record and integrity in administering such an examination,” the statement said, urging the public to disregard the claims.

However, critics insist that the Police Administration addressed only the alleged paper leakage, ignoring broader concerns about the entire promotion exercise.

Some officers are now demanding that the names of successful candidates submitted by the UCC be made public to establish whether the allegations dismissed as false by the Police Administration are indeed unfounded.

Further details emerging from within the Service suggest growing tension and unease among personnel over the manner in which the examinations were conducted.

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