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IGP’s powers given to National Police Commission
View(s):The newly-appointed independent National Police Commission (NPC) has retained powers of appointment, promotion, transfer, punishment, and similar matters of all officers above Chief Inspector rank, including Officers-in-Charge of police stations and functional divisions, according to a gazette notification.
These powers were earlier held by the Inspector General of Police and other senior officers, as the case may be. The gazette was first published in January but was removed from the website of the Government Printing Department hours later. The explanation offered was that it needed to be “proofread”.
The new gazette has been printed–five months later–after the reappointment of the NPC following the approval by parliament of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution.
Under the 20th Amendment, the Public Service Commission (PSC) technically held powers of appointment and promotions; cancelation of enlistment or termination of service during probation; confirmation or extension of service; transfers; dismissal; disciplinary control including interdiction; etc, over police officers above Chief Inspector rank.
But the PSC had delegated all of these powers to the IGP and other senior police officers, as allowed by the Constitution. This included authority over OICs of police stations/functional divisions.
The latest NPC gazette has categorised and delegated powers over various ranks to the IGP and, as the case may be, Senior Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (SDIGs), Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs), Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs).
But the Commission retained authority over all officers above the ranks of Chief Inspector and OICs of police stations and functional divisions. This meant it is responsible for the most senior officers in the Department. The powers pertain to the appointment, promotion, transfer, disciplinary control and dismissal.
The gazette said that the NPC would shortly promulgate new rules, regulations and procedures under Article 155G of the Constitution which states, “The appointment, promotion, transfer, disciplinary control and dismissal of police officers other than the Inspector-General of Police, shall be vested in the Commission. The Commission shall exercise its powers of promotion, transfer, disciplinary control and dismissal in consultation with the Inspector General of Police.”
Alleged political interference in appointments, promotions and transfers of police senior rankers has been a longstanding grievance. In April this year, SDIG Ajith Rohana–who was issued a transfer order–wrote to the NPC requesting that it does not approve “the malicious, unreasonable and unjustifiable transfers by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles”.
Under the recent gazette, these matters are directly under the NPC.
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