Commissioner of Police (COP) George Alex Mensah officially retired from the Police Service on Sunday, September 17, 2023, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of sixty (60), in accordance with the country’s laws.
Over his more than 30 years of dedicated service in the police force, COP Alex Mensah held various positions. Prior to proceeding on leave in preparation for his retirement, he served as the director general overseeing all Police operations nationwide.
In recent weeks, the now retired police commissioner gained significant public attention in Ghana due to the leak of a voice recording in which he purportedly discusses the performance of the current Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, and advocates for his removal from office, citing mismanagement of the Ghana Police Service.
The leaked audio recording is currently under investigation by a parliamentary adhoc committee. COP George Alex Mensah and other police officers have already appeared before the committee to provide their testimonies regarding the leaked recording.
According to the Police Service Regulation of 2012, as outlined in Constitution Instrument (CI 76), all the entitlements and benefits to be provided to COP George Alex Mensah are specified.
Section 121 (1) states that “in accordance with Article 119(1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution, officers of the service who have attained the voluntary and compulsory retirement age shall be paid gratuities and pensions from the Consolidated Fund.
(2) An officer of the service who has served for ten continuous years or more, shall be paid retiring benefits from the Consolidated Fund.
(3) An officer of the service who has served for less than ten continuous years is, unless otherwise prescribed in these Regulations entitled to receive proportionate gratuity for the period served.
(4) The consolidated annual salary to be used for the calculation of pension Retirement Benefits and gratuities shall be the basic salary and other allowances enjoyed by an officer of the service at the time of retirement.
(5) The Inspector-General, Deputy Inspector-General of Police or any officer not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police, shall on retirement, enjoy the benefits of the service as approved by the Council.
(6) The retirement benefits of an officer against whom criminal or disciplinary proceedings are pending shall be withheld until the proceedings are finally concluded.