Police outline measures to ensure peaceful elections
The Ghana Police Service has outlined plans to guarantee a violence-free election this year.
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It includes pre-election engagement and consultation with stakeholders, deployment of personnel and equipment, and escort of electoral materials and officials. The rest are concentric security arrangements at polling stations and collation centres, formation of rapid response teams, mobile patrols, intelligence gathering and post-election activities to prevent violence and demonstrations.
Also, an election task force, comprised of all security agencies to ensure a unified approach to election security has been established. The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, announced these measures at a meeting of the Police Management Board and the Council of State at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The council was briefed on security measures for the December 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Assurance
The IGP assured the council that the measures put in place would help ensure the safety and security of the electorate before, during and after the poll. He also stressed the importance of collaboration with other security agencies to maintain peace and order during electioneering, and urged personnel to remain vigilant at all times.
Dr Dampare further emphasised the police service's dedication to maintaining law and order, protecting life and property, and upholding democratic values. He expressed gratitude to members of the council for their support and guidance over the years.
The Director-General of the National Patrol Department of the Police Service, Commissioner of Police, Paul Manley Awinu, said they were being guided by lessons learnt from previous election events to improve on their operations.
He said they had adopted a strategic process-oriented approach to election security, covering pre-election, electioneering and post-election periods. Mr Awinu said the deployment plan included identification of specific officers, supervisors and other contingency measures.
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Commendation
The Chairman of the council, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, commended the police for their dedication to duty and urged them to uphold neutrality and professionalism in their work.
He emphasised the significance of a peaceful electoral process in upholding the country's democratic values, and urged citizens to contribute their quota towards sustaining the culture.
The meeting formed part of the police service’s engagement with various stakeholders in ensuring a peaceful election this year.