40 Police Officers petition deputy Attorney-General over promotion dispute, say no exams required in promotion

Forty police officers have submitted a petition to the Deputy Attorney-General challenging a directive from the Ghana Police Service which they claim conflicts with a ruling by the Court of Appeal ordering their promotion.

Through their legal representatives, the officers argue that a signal issued by the Police Service requiring them to sit for a competitive examination to gain entry into the Police Academy contradicts a judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal in Kumasi on January 22, 2026.

The petition, dated February 27, 2026, relates to the case C/Inspr. Christopher Okpattah and 39 Others v. the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General.

According to the officers, the dispute began when the Inspector-General of Police granted what they described as a “special amnesty” to certain officers, allowing them to enter the Police Academy without taking the mandatory entrance examination.

The group subsequently challenged the decision at the High Court but their case was dismissed.

However, the Court of Appeal later overturned the High Court’s ruling and delivered a judgment in favour of the officers.

The appellate court further directed the Police Council, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Police Appointment and Promotion Advisory Board to address the error that resulted in the officers being denied promotion.

Despite the ruling, the officers’ lawyers say a signal issued by the Police Service on February 17, 2026, listed them among chief inspectors required to sit the next competitive examination for admission into the Police Academy.

They argue that making the examination a compulsory requirement contradicts both the reasoning and the directives contained in the Court of Appeal’s judgment.

“The competitive examination as a mandatory precondition for entry into the Police Academy undermines and defeats the reasoning of the Court of Appeal and reintroduces the injustice the court sought to cure,” the petition stated.

The lawyers maintain that the appellate court’s decision clearly instructed the relevant authorities to correct the error that prevented the officers from being promoted.

They have therefore appealed to the Deputy Attorney-General to intervene and ensure that the ruling of the Court of Appeal is fully enforced.