<<Print>>

Despite recent denials by the police administration on the commencement of recruitment into the Police Service, information reaching The Independent news desk indicates that secret medical screening for �new recruits� has already began at the Public Health Department of the Police Hospital. The medical screening, which is being conducted on the blind side of the public, is believed to be a �protocol arrangement� under the auspices of the government and the police administration. According to information gathered by The Independent, the �secret recruitment� which started early this year has already seen massive number of supposed NDC foot-soldiers joining the Police Service. This puts in question the fate of a large number of applicants who applied to the Police Service almost two years ago. These applicants, after submitting to the required procedures for recruitment, are yet to be invited for recruits training. Meanwhile, sources say this �special� recruitment and medical screening required no qualification to be enlisted. A phone call was all that was needed. A ��lucky� individual in the queue at the Police Hospital awaiting his turn to be screened explained that he only received a phone call to report for the medical screening, the sources told The Independent. There are growing concerns among the public as to why the leadership of the Ghana Police Service has vehemently denied commencement of recruitment in the face of evidence of on-going secret recruitment. It is believed that the government wants to find jobs for loyalists of the ruling NDC at the expense of qualified applicants. When The Independent reached the Police PRO, Cephas Arthur, he denied the allegations saying they are unfounded. According to him, the list posted at the medical screening centre at the Police Hospital, had passed through the necessary procedures towards recruitment. He explained that Police recruitment was being done in batches, therefore any person who was called or whose name appeared on the list was due for recruit training at the Police Hospital. �If somebody is going for medicals, then it will be one of those who were standing-by,� he told The Independent. The Police PRO flatly denied the claims that there were some people who underwent medical screening without duly adhering to the Police recruitment procedure. �I don�t know what you are talking about. I don�t know about anybody who has gone through the requisite process not being called for medical screening.� He also denied that NDC loyalists were being recruited secretly by the Police Service.