National Police Chief General Sar Thet vows to root out ‘ghost officers’

 


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

Incoming National Police Chief General Sar Thet has announced a plan to eliminate the notorious roster of ‘ghost officers’ and stop the ‘misappropriation of appointments’ nationwide to improve the quality and integrity of police work.

On Tuesday in Phnom Penh Gen Thet addressed officers at the appointment ceremony for incoming Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Major Chuon Narin.

 Gen Thet said that the national police will cut the number of senior police officers eligible for promotion to deputy chief appointments in each municipality or provincial commissariat. The freeze on promotions is due to the large numbers of senior officers already working across the nation. 

He cited an example of police employment figures. Between 200 and 500 officers currently work at police institutions in a typical municipality or district. All these officers are paid salaries by the government. 

However, the actual number of officers who come to work daily number only 100 or 300 people, much less than the total number of individuals receiving salaries each month, he added.  

Gen Thet called those men and women who seldom or never show up for work regularly in police bureaus “ghost police” officers. 

Gen Thet said, “I want to make sure all police officers in each municipal and provincial unit are present and come to their workplace. From now on, I urge all municipal and provincial commissioners, and local police unit chiefs across the country, to make it mandatory for police officers on their payroll to show up in the morning to verify their presence.” 

“Those who are absent from work are ‘ghost police officers’ and must be removed from the National Police roster. They must no longer receive their salaries,” he said. 

Gen Thet cited more examples, noting only between four and six police officers work daily at each local commune police post.

 However, he said that the small number of local commune police officers is not proportional with the work they are facing and the large numbers of people in each commune.

 “To provide peace and security for people living in communes, the national police will increase the number of local police officers in each commune police post and equip them properly,” he said.

 Gen Theth said that the national police will not consider the appointment of any new deputy chiefs in municipal or provincial police commissariats due to the large numbers of senior police officers who have been appointed already.

 Pheng Vannak a former police officer said that he has observed in some police municipal and provincial departments, besides department chiefs, there are more than 50 or 60 deputy chiefs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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