The SSSS, a sinister or blessing

By Paul Achonga Kwode

The Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) is dotted as a new pay reform that
aimed at streamlining salary regimes in the public service and restore distortions
and unfair salaries in the public sector to ensure that works of equal value gets
equal pay. It also aims at making public sector workers better of and enhance
productivity as well as to retain quality workforce for the public sector. The poor
pay had hitherto led to the poaching of quality staff by the private sector. The
SSSS had therefore received applauds from the public sector workers with the hope of
getting the best and alleviate the poverty often associated with the sector but the
implementations of the SSSS seems to be hitting on the rocks.
The first came the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police
who claimed they had been cheated under the SSSS against their colleague police who
are not CIDs, arguing that under the old salary structure, they were receiving
better salary than their colleagues and should have been treated as such. The worse
probably followed when the other security agencies received theirs resulting in
serious demonstrations, burning of lorry tyres, wearing red bands and other acts
which had all been described as illegal or mutiny since they were part of the
essential services who ought not to go on demonstrations or strike.
What probably went wrong in the implementation process of the SSSS is the lack
of adequate information to the extent that the other security agencies were not told
they were not going to receive equal salaries just as the police. They
(demonstrators) claimed nothing was communicated to them about the details of the
SSSS but a few especially the top hierarchy admits they were aware the police
service was a step ahead of the other services. This information could have been
well communicated to them. However, the law should be applied to those found
culpable to the offence to serve as deterrents to the security that they could not
behave like the civilian population. Can you imagine the security demonstrating and
civilian also demonstrating concurrently?, who then maintain law and order to ensure
peace? The necessary information should therefore be communicated to them and the
rest of the public service institutions yet to receive the SSSS to avoid
such violent repetitions.
Sincerely speaking, the volume of work the police do in this country could not
be compared to the other security agencies agitating for equality. The Police
Service who operate by an Act of 1970, Act 350 mandates it to detect crime and
prevent it, apprehend and prosecute offenders, maintain law and order and due
enforcement of the law and of recent, they are seem exchanging guns with armed
robbers to the extent of some losing their lives. They are virtually seen at every
corner either directing traffic, guarding banks and other houses and property day
and night at the peril of their lives. Although they are risks associated with the
other security services but are not of equals to the police and beware of that.

Single Spine and Police Service
The Ghana Police Service was previously one of the poorest paid institutions in
the country however, is currently among the best paid. No doubt the implementation
of the much awaited Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) started from the Ghana
Police Service which sent most of the personnel jumping with joy. It was a feeling
of ecstasy when the dream of getting rich somehow smiled at them with a minimum
monthly ‘take home’ pay of GH¢750.
It was not surprising that most of them went to the bank and could not withdraw
the money paid them. The reason; they were astonished to see their salary and
wondered if indeed such was their monthly pay or a mistake on the part of their
employers. They had every good reason to be surprised at this bolt from the blue
since previously the least paid person took a little over GH¢200.
The policeman/woman must of necessity be jubilant but bear in mind that the huge
pay rise demands from them huge responsibilities which they must be able to prove
beyond doubt that they merited the said amount. That notwithstanding, the
institution was perceived as one of the most corrupted in the country probably due
to the poor salaries they were previously receiving.
The Ghana Police Service previously the Ghana Police Force was established in
1821 by the colonial government to protect the Gold Coast. Over the years, the
institution has undergone several transformations to meet the demands of the
society. It currently has a workforce of about 23,000 most of who belong to the
junior ranks with qualifications ranging from BECE, SSSCE while a few had managed to
obtain higher qualifications while at post. It also operates by the Police Service
act of 1970, Act 350 which mandates it to detect crime and prevent it, apprehend and
prosecute offenders, maintain law and order and due enforcement of the law.

Bribery and Corruption in the Police Service
The question many people are asking is ‘Will the high motivated policeman/woman
avoid bribery and corruption after the SSSS’? This question requires multi-million
dollar answers from the Ghana Police Service as it puts much weight on their work to
kill the canker of bribery and corruption from their professional service. Many are
also wondering if the police are instituting mechanisms to check bribery and abuse
of power by personnel and how punitive these measures would be.
Bribery could be defined as a gift or valuable consideration given in kind or
cash to a person in position of trust with the intention of influencing him/her to
act in a way favourable to the interest of the giver. Corruption had also been
defined as the misapplication of a recognized duty or the unwarranted exercise of
power with the motive of personal gain. These definitions illustrate the fact that
the Ghana Police Service whether imagined or real, is corrupt and must be cleansed
from such acts now that it is said to be well paid to perform to perfection its
constitutional duties to the people of Ghana . Several researches by independent
institutions including the Transparency Initiative and the Center for Democratic
Development (CDD) had indicted the Ghana Police Service to be corrupt.
Corruption in the police service whether perceived or real might have been
caused due to greed, desire to get rich quick, materialism, lack of moral and the
worse of all the undue pressure from the family. The family in Ghana according to
studies, socializes the individual to think that somebody somewhere (Uncle, brother)
has a responsibility to take care of his/her needs and therefore puts so much
pressures on the individual once the person is working to the extent of comparing
and questioning that mister ‘A’ has done this and why can’t my brother, sister do so
forgetting that the two do not receive the same salaries. Such act of ignorance
pushes a lot of people into corruption. Illiteracy too cannot be ruled out as a
factor contributing to corruption. However, there are others who also believe that
corruption is functional to society. That is to say corruption is positive for
society by creating millionaires who use their ill-gotten
money to invest in ventures and employ others while others use it to assist family
relatives. Those against corruption would argue that it deprives the state of
needed funds to carry out development activities and puts money in the hands of the
few.
Although successive attempts had been made to fight corruption and extortion
(bribe) and to redeem the image of the service, it appears the implementers need to
do more to uproot the canker which has permeated even to the top hierarchy. Some of
the young ones, who until the service knew nothing about corruption, had been
corrupted by their superiors who instruct them as to what to do (Do before
complain). There is also the internal force which pushes some of them to do so and
according to Emile Durkheim, a French Sociologist, the individual’s needs are
insatiable and reasoning along this line, one may be tempted to believe that
irrespective of the pay increment, the alphabet of bribery and corruption would
continue within certain quarters of the police service.
A similar school of thought might have ignited Prof. Ken Attafuah who argued that
increase in remuneration though a step in the right direction would not stop a crop
of police officers who have become inordinately addicted to bribe taking and other
corrupt practices while the improved remunerations would reasonable enhance the
performances of the good and ethical once. He also indicated that the performance of
police officers is a combination of many things. “The public should take into
consideration their level of training, the logistical support, the cooperation they
enjoy from the public and the validation or affirmation they receive from their
superiors. “It is only when we do that we can have legitimate basis to challenge
their performance."
It is quite refreshing that some of the superiors within the service like DCOP
Rose Bio Atinga and DCOP Patrick Timbila had of recent charged the personnel to work
assiduously to justify the pay rise. They had also cautioned the personnel to avoid
extortion and other negative practices to redeem the image of the service. Such acts
of leadership by example must be commended but must be backed with action by
punishing those who go contrary and reward policemen/women who distinguished
themselves exemplary.
The Police Service had of recent times sounded several warnings to personnel to
leave above reproach else the general cleansing of the institution would affect
them. It must be put on record that the Inspector General of Police Mr. Paul Tawiah
Quaye had lived by his words and dismissed a number of policemen/women who had gone
contrary to the professional codes. Those who had abused their authority had been
sanctioned as well but yet much still needs to be done. The bottom starts from the
mode of recruitment.
The police had scored low marks when it comes to background checks on people to be
recruited resulting in recruiting people with criminal records including armed
robbers. It is therefore no surprising that the men and women to apprehend criminals
themselves turn to be criminals to the extent that some even take the opportunity of
the AK47 rifles at their disposal to engage in robbery (a case of abuse of power).
Recruitment into the security services of late is bedeviled with corruption thus pay
before being recruited or belong to party A or party B before being recruited and
the worse of such practice is that, the party in power tops them all by infiltrating
the recruitment with party “boys”. It therefore rears a very serious canker for our
countries’ infant democracy since our security is left in the hands of security men
who are influenced politically in one way or the other.
Though there is no scientific prove, the picture is clear and observable. If one
wants to see naked corruption, think of how a policeman’s son is coming for
recruitment, do you think such a person will fail? Far from that as the answer is
obvious. Nepotism in the police service is very deep and serious making it very
difficult to instill discipline because one has to be careful not to discipline the
son of a superior officer without taking into account the consequences. If all these
negativities are weeded out, then and there we stand to have police men and women
who could chest out and say, yes, “I dedicate my service to humanity and the state”.
Recent suggestions by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) that the Vice
President should not chair the police council is also laudable but must be
holistically looked at.
The police by itself had instituted the Police Intelligence and Professional
Standards Bureau (PISB).It was established as a unit to check and do self
introspection of the police to ensure high professional standards. The achievements,
I am unable to account but I am the first to admit that it has a huge responsibility
and a long way to go to achieve its aims and objectives. The media should have been
the best watchdog on the police but considering the relationship existing between
the police and the media; the media sometimes relies on the police for source of
information while the police also do likewise. This symbiotic relationship put the
two at very uncompromising positions but that does not prevent the media to expose
the rot in the police if indeed there is any. The media should be able to keep an
eye on the police seriously but should be careful not to cause panic and fear. Civil
society and the general public could also be of good help in
weeding corruption from the police if the giver refuses to give and rather report
police personnel who demand money or any form of inducement before carrying out
their duties.
End