Promotions now tied to station performance, accountability – Pres Ali on sweeping GPF reform

…announces promotion for over 2000 police ranks

In a significant policy shift aimed at enhancing discipline and performance within the Guyana Police Force (GPF), upcoming promotions for ranks will now be graded based on their station’s performance, according to new directives issued by the administration.

The move announced by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Wednesday is intended to ensure that promotions are merit-based and reflective of individual and team effectiveness, rather than solely seniority or tenure. Additionally, all ranks will now be held to higher standards of accountability for government-issued assets under their control.
“You have absolutely no excuse to perform now… So, I want you to know that there’s a path now. A clear path in the Guyana Police Force. A path through which you can improve your education. A path through which you can advance your life. But that path comes with responsibilities. Because we will put the highest system of evaluation on all of you. The quarterly report? If ya’ll ain’t keep the assets and station in good standing, everybody will come out. So, everybody can go out or everybody can come out. It’s up to you now. The ball is in your court. The responsibility is in your hand,” the President said.

GPF promotion
In one of the most sweeping reforms in the history of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced the promotion of more than 2,000 police officers, while unveiling a new era of accountability, fairness, and upward mobility in the law enforcement system.
Addressing a massive assembly of police ranks at the GPF Headquarters on Wednesday, President Ali delivered a commanding and motivational address, setting out not only promotions—but a new merit-based path to success within the force.
With effect from August 1, 2025, ranks who have attained the requisite years of service and have no disciplinary action against them are to be promoted.
This promotion will see ranks move up from Constable to Lance Corporal, Lance Corporal to Corporal, Corporal to Sergeant, and Sergeant to Inspector. Specifically, the president announced that cops who are Corporal for eight-10 years will be moved to the highest level on the scale and so their salaries will be adjusted accordingly.
Additionally, those who are Constable with five-seven years of service will be promoted to Lance Corporal at the highest level of the scale while those Constables with 8-10 years in the system will be moved to Corporal at the highest level of the scale.
Meanwhile, he said those with 10-13 years of service will be promoted to Sergeant at the middle of the scale and those with 13-15 will go as Sergeant at the highest level of the scale.
All those in the system with 20 and more years of service who are not at the level of Inspector will be adjusted to be an Inspector, at the starting of the scale.
The Guyanese Leader and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces emphasized that predictability and fairness will now govern Guyana Police Force’s career trajectory, noting that officers can now see a clear road to retirement—not only with higher rank, but with meaningful pensions and life after service.
On this point, Ali urged officers to seize this opportunity, reminding them that the new system will also come with the strictest accountability protocols, including evaluations of station upkeep and public engagement.
“Policing and security must come with a high degree of trust from the population. If we don’t have that trust from the population, we’re doing ourselves a disservice and injustice… I want us to work together in the next five years… And I want to leave the best possible police force, with the best diverse role, but we have to work together. This is a collective effort. Accountability. I want accountability in the system, at every level. But where accountability comes with credibility. I don’t want police to perform well, without any discipline issues,” he explained.
He added that no one is above the system, and those who breach standards would be dealt with equally.
The President announced a full restructuring of the GPF promotion and career framework, promising transparency and performance-based progression across the board.
“We are rewriting the system. This is a force where the honest, the hardworking, and the dedicated will shine,” he declared.