350 retired policemen petition vice president

KUMASI, Ghana - Three hundred and fifty police personnel who were compulsorily retired from the Ghana Police Service between 1993-94 have appealed to Vice-President John Atta Mills to intervene and ensure the payment of their entitlements. Chief Inspector Michael K. Tetteh, spokesman for the retired police personnel, on Thursday made the appeal on behalf of his colleagues through the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi. He said they were retired at the age of 55 instead of 60 years as stipulated in the 1992 constitution.

Mr Tetteh said the Inspector General of Police (IGP) sent a circular to them to attend the Police Hospital for examination and reinstatement, which they did in 1998 and were, declared fit but they did not hear from the Service again and therefore filed a suit at the Supreme Court.

The court ruled in 1994 that the retiring age of career officers in the Police Service is the same (60 years) for other public officers and that the service had breached Article 119 (1) of the constitution by retiring them at 55 years.

Mr Tetteh said the Supreme Court ordered their reinstatement but the police administration did not comply with the order, adding that the IGP rather instructed that the affected police personnel should be paid five years' salary.

He said though payment vouchers were prepared to that effect in 1999 and forwarded to the Ministry of Finance through the Ministry of the Interior for payment of their entitlements, nothing had been heard so far.

The retired police personnel are therefore appealing to the Vice-President as the Chairman of the Police Council to assist them to get their benefits.