Norton accuses President of politicising police promotions

Last Updated on Friday, 1 August 2025, 17:44 by Writer

Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton on Thursday night accused President Irfaan Ali of announcing police promotions to campaign for next month’s general and regional elections.

He told the Buxton Emancipation celebration that Dr Ali portrayed Afro-Guyanese members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) as being grateful for their promotions that he announced on Wednesday while addressing them at the GPF’s Officers’ Mess auditorium.

“Unfortunately, the President of this country chose to take young African policemen and parade them on social media, thanking him for promotion. In the first place, he has no authority to promote people and in the second place, it is clearly a political gimmick for you did not promote them for years.”

Under Guyana’s Constitution, the Police Commissioner is responsible for the appointment, promotion and disciplinary action against members of the GPF below the rank of inspector. Those above that rank are subjected to the Police Service Commission.

The Government’s Department of Public Information posted 20 videos of policemen and policewomen thanking the President for his announcement of promotions with effect from August 1, 2025.

The PNCR Leader said President Ali opted to target members of the GPF to compensate for his People’s Progressive Party Civic’s (PPPC) loss of support in his strongholds. “Suddenly you come, when you recognise you are losing ground in your own communities, you come to the African community to announce promotions,” said Mr Norton who is also APNU’s presidential candidate for the September 1 general and regional elections. He advised policemen and women to “take what they have to offer” but vote APNU.

PNCR member Annette Ferguson on Thursday said the incumbent administration was resorting to extreme measures such as enlisting police ranks and attempting to secure votes through the coercion of appointments and other incentives. “Look at what they have reduced you to, standing before cameras, praising Mr. Ali for appointing you, in clear and blatant violation of the Constitution. That is not his role. The appointment of lower ranks falls under the mandate of the Commissioner of Police,” she said on Facebook.

Government’s Department of Public Information outlined a detailed promotional breakdown that spans the lower and middle ranks of the GPF:

• Constables with five to seven years of service, who have not yet been promoted and who have no disciplinary issues, will be elevated to lance corporal and placed at the highest end of that salary scale.
• Current lance corporals will be moved to the highest level of the lance corporal pay scale.
• Constables with eight to ten years of service will be promoted to corporal and also receive the highest salary within that rank.
• Corporals who have served between eight to ten years will now be placed at the top of the corporal scale.
• Ranks with ten to 13 years of service will be promoted to sergeant, while those between 13 and 15 years will be retained as sergeants, but moved to the highest level of the sergeant scale.
• Any officer with more than 20 years of service, who has not yet reached the rank of inspector, will be automatically adjusted to that rank, receiving the salary of an inspector, so long as their record is clean.