We are ready for Elections 2020 -Police

The Chairman of the National Elections Security Taskforce and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, says the police are well equipped and ready to provide security for the upcoming elections. According to him, preparations in all the sixteen regions in the country are very satisfactory.

“On the issue of resources required for our work, [the] agencies forming the Election Security Taskforce are equipped and ready to do our job. I have visited all sixteen regions of this country with a team to see for myself…, I am satisfied that we are ready.”

The IGP was speaking at a press conference held yesterday at the Police Headquarters in Accra. The conference was to address the nation on the preparedness of the police for the upcoming elections. Aside the police personnel getting their equipment intact, the IGP also indicated that all stakeholders in the election sphere had been consulted.

On the Electoral Commission, Mr Oppong Boanuh said they had been working closely with them to provide security for the commissioners, polling stations and collation centers. Other areas that would need security protection are the electoral materials, officials, offices, and logistics, holding facilities, candidates, voters, observers, and reporters.

In terms of the political parties, the IGP said his team had met with leaders of the various political parties, and implored them to advise their followers to follow laid down procedures in the elections, particularly when it comes to registering their displeasure against occurrences at the polling stations.

He said the leaders had been tasked to advise their candidates not to move from one polling station to the other under the guise of monitoring the process. The IGP said such movements generate confusion, and anybody found engaging in such acts would be dealt with.

The IGP also indicated that his outfit had met with traditional leaders and appealed to them to help advise residents of their traditional areas, the youth in particular, to stay away from violence and be law abiding.

Faith Based Organisations and the media were also not left out of the exercise. Mr Oppong-Boanuh said Faith Based Organisations have been tasked to promote peace and security in the communities in which they operate, especially those areas identified as flashpoints. The media, on the other hand, have been given training on how to report properly on the elections, in order to avoid reporting issues that would trigger violence.

The IGP said that all these preparations had been made due to their deep commitment to preventing crimes from happening. He thus warned that should people violate the measures that had been put in place and cause violence, such people would be arrested, investigated and made to face prosecution.

“I have already said that we have [a] deep commitment to preventing crimes from happening. Special initiatives and protocols have been instituted with partners to make such processes easier than before. But where crimes happen, we will arrest [the] offenders, investigate to gather the necessary evidence, and get them prosecuted successfully.”

Since the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is still lingering on, Mr Boanuh said the presidential protocols would be enforced.

He said the security personnel would enforce the wearing of nose masks, washing of hands, and observe some social distancing at the polling stations, and advised the public to comply with all protocols.

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