…As favoritism and politics determine who gets what, when & how
There is growing discontent within the Ghana Police Service, following reports of secret promotions of selected officers, The Herald, has learnt.
These promotions are allegedly being conducted without adherence to the standard processes, instead relying on favouritism and personal connections.
According to insiders, the traditional method of publishing a comprehensive promotion list for all officers to view has been replaced by a covert system. In some cases, beneficiaries are informed of their promotions through private platforms like WhatsApp.
The Herald is told that officers only become aware of promotions, when they observe colleagues wearing new ranks on their uniforms.
For officers in departments like the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and Police Intelligence Directorate (PID), who often wear plain clothes, promotions remain a closely guarded secret known only to the officer, their superiors, and the person responsible for the promotion.
An example cited involves one Asare from the Legal and Prosecution Directorate, reportedly a close associate of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr George Akuffo-Dampare, who was recently promoted to Chief Superintendent of Police.
Meanwhile, other officers in the same department who are qualified lawyers continue to hold the ranks of sergeant or corporal despite their professional qualifications.
Further information obtained by The Herald indicates that some Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) have been stuck at their rank for over seven years, far beyond the four-year interval stipulated for promotions.
In contrast, some juniors with only three years as ACPs have been promoted to Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP), bypassing their seniors.
Many of these newly promoted DCPs, have been assigned to head newly created regional commands, including Kibi, Mampong, Assin Fosu, Hohoe, Kasoa, and Mpraeso.
Since last week, social media platforms have been flooded with congratulatory messages for officers benefiting from these promotions.
However, critics argue that these promotions are politically influenced, with a significant number of beneficiaries alleged to be sympathizers of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Reports also suggest that during election duties, police officers were deployed based on perceived political affiliations. Officers considered unfriendly to the ruling party were allegedly barred from election-related deployments, fueling further concerns about impartiality within the service.
