The Minister of Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has criticised the current promotion system within Ghana's security services, warning that it rewards complacency and undermines professionalism.

Speaking before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on September 30, 2025, the Minister stated that the existing arrangement allows officers to rise through the ranks simply by serving their years in office without demonstrating competence, skills, or a commitment to duty.

"It is the one who goes to fetch water that breaks the pot. So, I don't want any infraction, so I will fold my hands and just be lying down. And then four years count, I get promoted," he lamented.

According to him, hardworking officers often face unnecessary setbacks due to queries and disciplinary records, while others who lie low benefit from automatic promotions after completing their mandatory years of service.

4 police officers promoted for diligence and professionalism

Mubarak insisted that Ghana's security services, including the Police, Immigration, Fire and Prisons Service, must anchor promotions on three key pillars: attitude, skills, and knowledge.

“I think that for us to have a very efficient service, whether police, immigration, fire, or prisons, it must be anchored on three things. One, the attitude of the service person. Two, the skills that you have.

"And three, the knowledge. And the skills can only be gotten only through periodic training. So, in my view, you should not just get promoted when you've not gone through certain…what we call regimental training.

"I'm sorry to say, we have police officers today. If you take them to the police range for firing, madame chair, they will piss on themselves, yet they are walking around every four years, promote me, promote me," he added.

He argued that while professionals are valuable, their roles should have clear limits to ensure that only officers with operational and tactical expertise are elevated to senior command positions like Commissioner of Police or Inspector General of Police (IGP).

"Someone comes as a PR, then before you realise, he hasn't done anything significant, tomorrow he's COP. And once he's COP, he starts knocking on politicians' doors, saying, I want to be IGP. That is wrong. It doesn't happen anywhere," he stressed.

@justiceman25

"Some police officers today would pee on themselves if taken to the firing range, yet they seek promotions every four years," - Interior Minister Muntaka

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