The decision of the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Henry Quartey to order the suspension of the training of Senior Police Officers who were to report at the National Police Academy and Training School yesterday was done for the good of the service as it to cure uneasy calm within the Police Service.
The action of the minister, per what The Inquisitor knows was to prevent unqualified officers who were selected at the behest of the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare to be part of the training.
Dr. Dampare is alleged to have selected senior officers who were not due for officers’ course but are seen as loyalists to him and other members of the police service management.
The selection of the officers for the 53rd Cadet Course was actually shrouded in secrecy with slots offered to praise-singers of the IGP, something which was quickly relayed to the Minister of the Interior.
There was indeed tension within the police service after the secret selection got to the knowledge of qualified officers who were ignored by the IGP.
The Inquisitor has been alerted of how some journalists and members of the Civil Society Organisations were offered slots for their ‘dedicated’ service to Dr. Dampare popularly called ‘Slay King IGP’.
The intake 53 was going to be made of 500 officers, the highest in the history of the police service, 300 were said to have passed examination and 200 were selected on protocol basis.
What is intriguing was the fact that the officers were to have their medical examination after reporting to the training school, something which is not the norm.
All officers who had gone through the Cadet training were made to have their medical examination at the Police Hospital before reporting for training.
It was not the first time the IGP had been stopped sending officers to training as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had cause to stop him in 2022.
Mr. Quartey in letter to the IGP dated February 21, 2024, said: ‘’My attention has been drawn to your directive for selected officers of the service to report for the senior officers on Sunday, 25th February 2024, at the National Police Academy and Training School and which directive I am informed is causing some unease with the potential of affecting morale in the service as a whole.’’
He said: ‘’In view of the overwhelming interest of eligible officers as well as the general public in the processes for the training, I wish to request that you suspend the reporting date to allow broader consultations to ensure all concerns are dealt with.’’
Mr. Quartey’s letter was copied to the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who is Chairman of the Ghana Police Service Council.
The directive from the minister was met with joy within the corridors of the police service because of the unfair manner certain officers who were qualified were treated in connection with the intake 53.
Even before the directive from the Minister of the Interior, there were agitations on various social media platforms of some police officers on how terrible the IGP and team were handling the selection for the Cadet Course.
More To Come!
