MALPRACTICE IN UN POLICE EXAM, BUT POLICE CHIEF DENIES ALLEGATION

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

The Director of International Relation of the Ghana Police Services, Assistant  Commissioner of Police(ACP) John Owiredu-Nkansah has denied the allegation  that, there  was an  examination malpractices at the just ended UN peacekeeping  Selection Assessment Test(SAT)  for  some police officers  in the country.

He  told The Enquirer in an interview that,  the  UN-SAT examination are been set by  the UN periodically to select officers for peace mission and it  would be difficult for any persons in Ghana  to known  how the exam question are  set nor to talk of leaking question papers for potential peacekeeping officers to pass the test.

The Enquirer however  stumbled  upon some information that some police officers were  caught during  the UN- SAT examination  copying   and when the results  were  released, those who were caught in the exam malpractices had rather passed , while those who did not copy were rather failed, a development that set tongues waggling among the losing participants .

But, according to the Director of International Relations, the UN officials set the question on each subject and sealed them in a CD and labelled with the UN Logo till the examination day where the sealed question would be brought into the examination hall.

He told the Enquirer that, the only person who have access to the question were those sent by the UN to conduct the examination and that no person from the Africa continent is part of the examiners.

Asked whether those who invigilates could leak the question papers to the officers, ACP Owiredu –Nkansah said, the invigilators only comes in as when the exam was ready and that, there was no way an invigilator could have access to the question that have been set by the UN body outside the country.

He stated that, some of the officers failed the exams because they refused to listen to or take guidance from the local examination officers who prepared them for selection before the UN Selection Assessment Test (SAT) , stressing that, those who paid attention were those who passed the examination.

A copy of a letter dated May 4, this year and addressed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Ghana police Services and shown to the Enquirer  indicated that, a total of 141 candidates took the examination on various subjects.

According to the letter signed by Salman Sapal, a UN-SAT representative, a total of 141 candidates from Ghana police services took the reading and Comprehension test and only 117 passed, while 24 failed.

It further said the 117 further took the Listening and Comprehension test and 111 passed, while six candidates failed.

That  the  111  again took the Report Writing test, 70 candidates  passed and  41 failed, therefore making a total of 70 candidates who passed the writing test for the UN selection and Assessment Test (SAT) .

The letter further stated that, out of the 70 candidates who took the Oral Interview selection test,  all passed but when they went for Driving Assessment test, 63 passed  while seven failed therefore making a total of 63 police officers who qualified to be deployed for peacekeeping by the UN.

With regards to the  UN Chief examiners reports, ACP Nkansah said, there was no way a Ghanaian police officer could have had access to all the testing phases and therefore denied that, there was any exam malpractice.

He admitted that, though as human, some might have learnt and met their expectation, it was not therefore the case that those who passed were giving question or have seen the question papers before time.

According to him, some of the police officers only concentrate their mind on the expectation at the mission but failed to be focus on what question they are expected to answer therefore making them diverted from what the examiners wanted.

He further told the Enquirer that, before the UN-SAT examination, the local administration of the Ghana police services do conduct selection examination for the officers and those who qualified are presented to the UN for the SAT examination.

The Director of International Relation , noted  that before he  went for peace keeping mission as officer from the Ghana police, he had failed  the UN examination on two different occasion and was surprised that those who failed the April 30, this year examination are making allegation of exam malpractices.

He also noted that, those who passed the writing test but failed the practical would sit for the practical at the next time if they are qualified for the second time for the UN selection test.