Police Personnel Lament over Entry to Police College

The truth be told, I have not aspired to become a senior officer and not because I do have the competences, abilities and capabilities to be one. I think I have what it takes to become a senior officer by all standards and means but  the only reason why I have not aspired to become a senior officer is that, I do know that  person who will give me a special recommendation to police college considering the way these things  are handled by the police administration lately.

I have therefore measured my expectations and  would be very much surprised to wake up one day and realized that I have been commissioned as a senior officer with all my controversies. After all, he who has no expectations have no worries as said by William Shakespeare, the English playwright. But the question is should we watch on for these unfair policies which are inimical to our collective well being and career progression be championed for fear of intimidation and victimization? I do not think so.

Over the years I have suffered all kinds of victimizations and vindictiveness due to my critical stands on some of these issues and the fact is, some of us will continue to speak our minds and views on some of these unfair policies until such a time that we see that the police administration championing fair policies that will bring collective  benefits to us all and until then, we will never rest.

I recently saw a signal about competitive exams to police college and I did not believe what I read. In fact, I doubted the person who signed the signal until my latter checks confirmed the authenticity of the signal and the person who signed it and I was shocked to the marrow. I mean I was really flabbergasted.

I took my time to read the signal and the question I asked myself is,  if the current IGP and some POMAB members whom we know started their police careers from the rank of constables were to be junior ranks in our present times, would they have gotten the opportunity to rise through the ranks and get to wherever they find themselves now? Would they have been happy about the way and manner these things are being handled now? Would they have had a cause to be worried or not?

Imagine all the academic qualifications and accolades of the current IGP but he is still a junior rank not by reasons of his incompetences and incapabilities but due to reasons that he started his career as a constable and the police administration is bent on ensuring that  officers like him do not meet their career aspirations in terms of rank. Just imagine the current IGP with all his academic qualifications accolades but still walks about in the Ghana Police Service with rank of Chief Inspector without recognition all because he started his career as a constable. You think he will be fulfilled as he is now?

I have tried to make some reasons out of that signal and I still cannot make any so I  ask myself why would people like the current IGP who were given all the opportunities to rise in the police from the very bottom to the top try collapse the same ladders and and bridges they used to climb to the top? What is their motivation? What informed their decision? I still cannot make anything out of that signal and sadly these days welfare meetings are not held regularly for one to ask questions about why the police administration is going the way they are going? It is sad.

Not many years ago when we came to the police, the old order was that you go on study leave and upon successful completion of your course, you are given a promotion to whichever level that suits you. Diploma and HND holders were given rank of inspectors or chief inspector depending on which level they were before going on study leave and degree holders are given chief inspector ranks with direct entry to police college. Once you cross over to become a senior officer, you have all the chances to rise to become a COP and possibly becoming an IGP like the current one we have.

Through the old order, the current IGP and some POMAB members got all the opportunities and rose to whichever rank that  they find themselves now but considering the recent policies they are championing, would they have gotten the same opportunities to rise to whichever positions they are occupying now if our forebearers run the system like the way they are running it now? Would the have quickly rise through the ranks if they were to spend 20 to 30 years of their lives as junior officers before getting the opportunity to write an entrance exams to police college?

Even at that time, we do not want to talk about the kinds of certificates and courses people pursued so just that they would be given admission to police college and get the chance to  rise through the ranks to wherever they may find themselves. It was later that some of them went on to pursue further studies to better their academic qualifications.

I for one do not fancy academic qualifications as the sole basis for police promotions, especially to senior officers level. There should be more to academic qualifications to earn one a promotion to become a senior officer and it is the reasons I  think that in the current dispensation, entry to police college should be based on competitive exams for all, except in the case of some key professionals and experts like medical doctors.

There is the need for graduate enlistment and there is also the need for those who started from the scratch like the IGP himself also to be given the opportunity to rise just like he  had it and rose to wherever that he finds himself in the police service now. A man like him who benefited from a system which gave him a free ride to wherever he finds himself should  be seen building much of the bridges and ladders he used to climb to the top than pushing off the ladder or break the bridge.

Why did the forebearers offered opportunity to the likes of people like the current IGP and many others to climb from constable to wherever that they are now? The reason is simple.

It is to offer opportunity to officers who have sacrificed their lives to keep the police going the opportunity to rise and also to come on board with practical insights into policies that that will bring benefit to all, irrespective of which level one started his or her career. Such officers are supposed to be much informed about the junior ranks who are the workforce of the police so that police administration can take decisions in the interest of all, irrespective of whether one joined the police as a graduate or not.

Sadly and sadly, we have seen the police administration in recent years bent on killing the aspirations of those who joined the police from the rank of constable. We are seeing much of weird policies that are very inimical to our career aspirations and in place of this, we are seeing heightened number of special recommendations to police college and get me not wrong that I am against special recommendation and people who are benefiting from it. I am against special recommendation or anybody who has been given a special recommendation to police college but if it takes precedence over fair chances and opportunities for all, then we should be really worried.

We all deserve fair chances and opportunities in the Ghana Police Service and that is what the current IGP who himself from such opportunities must create more of the opportunities that he benefited from.

I know he will reflect at last

Ahanta Apemenyimheneba Kwofie III

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