Overlooked for years: Pres. Ali orders promotion of over 2000 police ranks

Jul 31, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday ordered the promotion of more than 2,000 police ranks- many of whom had been overlooked and sidelined over the years by the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

The promotion will take effect on August 1, 2025. The announcement was made during an address to officers at the Police Headquarters on Young Street, Eve Leary, Georgetown. Most of the ranks have complained that they were overlooked by senior management of the force -some for close to two decades.

The President stated that ranks who have completed the requisite years of service and have no disciplinary actions against them will be eligible for promotion. This mass promotion will include officers moving from Constable to Lance Corporal, Lance Corporal to Corporal, Corporal to Sergeant, and Sergeant to Inspector. Notably, some officers who have served in the force for over 15 years will be receiving promotions for the first time in their careers.

In his address, President Ali emphasized the importance of physical fitness, improved infrastructure, and the creation of a transparent promotion pathway based on years of service and performance. He also reiterated his government’s commitment to restoring dignity in retirement for long-serving officers. “You retire at 55 and I said that there is incentive for serving. If you stay beyond 20 years with a clean record, the minimum you’ll retire at is an inspector. Years ago, you retired as an apostle or a corporal. Your pension would have been as a corporal or apostle, which is half what an inspector would have had. Your pension would be now more than what you would have been before. That is retiring with dignity. And that is what they want for you,” he said.

As such, President Ali announced promotion and salary adjustment plan for police officers based on years of service and disciplinary record. Corporals with 8 to 10 years of service will be moved to the highest salary level within their rank. Constables with 5 to 7 years of service, who have not yet been promoted and have maintained clean disciplinary records, will be elevated to Lance Corporal and placed at the top of that salary scale.

Current Lance Corporals will also be moved to the highest pay level for that rank. Additionally, Constables with 8 to 10 years of service will be promoted to Corporal and receive the maximum salary available in that category. Officers with 10 to 13 years of service will be promoted to Sergeant, while those with 13 to 15 years will remain Sergeants but will be adjusted to the highest salary scale within that rank.

Importantly, any officer with more than 20 years of service and no disciplinary infractions, who has not yet attained the rank of Inspector, will be automatically promoted and receive the salary of an Inspector.

“We got thousands of persons serving more than 20 years that retired as constables and corporals. Today, everybody with 20 years will be moved to an inspector once you have no in disciplinary records,” President Ali declared.

In addition to the promotions, the President announced several new benefits and reforms for the GPF. Officers will now be able to pursue academic qualifications, from diplomas to master’s degrees, free of cost, with no prior requirement for rank or seniority. “Today, we have removed the requirement for senior officers doing degrees, given any single police the opportunity to do a diploma, a degree, a master’s, at any level, free of cost,” he said, urging officers to take the opportunity for professional development.

President Ali also introduced a quarterly evaluation system for all police stations, aimed at promoting accountability and improving asset management. He explained that the government has been investing heavily in the force and now wants to ensure that these facilities and resources are being properly maintained.

“I have asked the Commission of Police and its deputies to come up with a quarterly evaluation form for every station because you must take collective responsibility from the commander, from right down to the constable. And in that form, you must address assets that are given to the police. How do you take care of the assets that is given to you such as the bikes, the vehicles. The entire station will be marked down, given a quarterly evaluation, We don’t see these things being kept properly, and it will affect promotion. So each one or two will have to hold each other accountable,” he said.

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• Constables, cops, President Irfaan Ali, promotion

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