COP John Kudalor
THE Director General of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) John Kudalor has warned trouble makers in the impending December polls to have a second thought, as the Police is fully prepared to match them.
COP Kudalor was speaking at a press conference held at the Police Headquarters to inform the public on police preparedness towards peaceful polls in December.
He mentioned, among many things, that the capacity of service persons have been built through series of training with support from international partners like the French and UK governments and so far, personnel have been assigned to specific polling stations or collation centres.
COP Kudalor disclosed that the deployment list for the security services was ready.
It was expected that each and every person assigned would be notified at least a week before the elections.
Currently the list would be sent to the other security services and later displayed on police notice boards before the elections throughout the country.
In all, 13,126 officers from the Military, Fire, Police and Immigration services as well as Customs Excise and Preventive Services have been trained.
The UK?s Department for International Development was said to have assisted with printing of some 22,000 flyers on the acceptable conducts of security personnel during the elections for educational purposes.
The Police Administration together with the National Election Task Force has formed various committees and sub-committees to monitor and scrutinize events and any unforeseen circumstances which may arise before, during and after the polls.
The National Election Task Force was responsible for planning, organizing, implementing, monitoring and coordinating the preparation of security agencies to create safe environment for the elections to take place.
A special sub-committee on ballot boxes security has also been formed to ensure all ballot boxes were secured.
Personnel mobilization, development and transportation; Intelligence, legal, investigations, and prosecutions sub-committees were but a few of the sub-committees formed in respect of the December polls.
COP Kudalor noted that all over the world, elections have become the only legitimate means by which a person or group of persons could ascend political office in a democratic dispensation, of which Ghana was no exception.
He observed that experiences from other African countries showed that elections could degenerate into violence if not properly planned or managed.
?The cost of such violence is unbearable,? he noted.
He said the police have located the number of polling stations, collation centres, Electoral Commission offices as well as flash points throughout the country. Local essential services installations have also been identified.
Personnel of Formed Police Unit have been assigned to areas throughout the country with appropriate logistics to maintain law and order and respond to public order issues.
The police chief also said headquarters emergency response team would be on standby to assist in areas where their specialized equipment would be required.
Mobile clinics, medical reception stations and ambulances with medical crew would be deployed at certain locations to assist the personnel, when needed, with the National Ambulance Service and St. John?s Ambulance Service as compliments.
The police boss further appealed to all players in the elections to conduct their activities within the confines of the law, stressing that any resistance to them would be met with the appropriate force.
BY Rocklyn Antonio
