Police Sit On Time Bomb�

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Alhassan appears to have incurred the wrath of some senior officers in the Ghana Police Service, following the decision by his administration to suspend promotion of officers who are due for promotion to the various ranks. Signals picked up by The Chronicle indicate that there is growing disquiet among the affected officers who think Mr. Alhassan�s administration was trying to thwart their ambition of reaching certain ranks, before retiring from the police service. Investigations conducted by The Chronicle indicate that most of the affected officers are at sea as to why Mr. Alhassan�s administration rushed to promote all the junior officers who were due for promotion, but had decided to show lukewarm attitude towards the senior officers, some of whom are approaching their retiring age. Pieces of information pieced together by The Chronicle indicate that senior officers, starting from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), were due for promotion last year, but the exercise could not come on for unexplained reasons. Sources within the Police Service, however, told The Chronicle that the police administration was trying to organize a course for all the officers who were due for promotion, before carrying out the actual promotion, but lack of funds prevented them from organizing the course. Another source also explained that the organogram of the police service is like a pyramid, where only few senior officers are packed at the top with many junior ranks at the bottom. The fear of the police administration is that if all senior officers due for promotion are promoted, there would be many supervisors at the top, a development the Mohammed Alhassan administration is trying to avoid. Some of the affected officers would, however, not accept the explanation, insisting that some of the officers heading the administration do not want some of them to get to certain levels, before retiring from the service. According to the officers, who spoke to The Chronicle on strict condition of anonymity, when they are delayed on a rank for a very long time, their progression to higher rank would be affected, but the Police Administration is not concerned about their plight and rather continued to delay the official communication announcing their promotion. Whilst admitting that Mohammed Alhassan is one of the best IGPs Ghana has produced in recent times, the affected officers think his stance on the promotion of the senior officers is denting his image and that he must act upon their demand before they start voting with their feet in public. The Director of Public Affairs of the Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ampah Bennin admitted in a telephone interview with the Chronicle that the promotion for the junior ranks had been carried out. He also admitted that the promotion for the senior officers was yet to be executed but insisted that there was no ill motive behind the delay. According to him they are investigating the background of all the officers who are due for promotion and that those who have no blemish would be promoted in due course whilst those found to be wanting would have theirs delayed for some time.