HUGE POLICE PRESENCE AT NPP CONGRESS (FRONT PAGE)

19/12/2007
Huge police presence at NPP congress
Story: Mary Mensah,
A Large number of policemen have been deployed at the University of Ghana campus to provide maximum security to ensure peace at the delegates conference of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The policemen, who were deployed on Thursday, were drawn from the Critical Intelligent Unit, the Panthers Unit, the Rapid Deployment Force, the Armour Car Squadron and the Operational Units of the Greater Accra Regional Police Command.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, disclosed this in an interview at Dodowa. He said the operations would have a command centre on the university campus to co-ordinate all security operations.
He indicated that the Director-General of Operations of the Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Patrick Timbilla, and the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Opare Addo, would be at the helm of affairs.
The IGP said the policemen would embark on vehicular and foot patrols at the various halls where the delegates and aspirants would lodge.
Mr Acheampong said checkpoints and barriers would also be mounted on the main Legon road and some spots within the university campus to search for weapons, drugs and other dangerous implements to forestall any eventuality.
He said in the past, delegates conferences were conducted in a peaceful and organised manner which did not warrant any police presence there, “but now things have changed because supporters of an aspirant can attack supporters of other aspirants, which can result in casualties".
He said some robbers might take advantage of the situation to steal and warned that the police would leave no stone unturned to ensure a successful congress.
The IGP gave the assurance that the police were on top of the situation and would ensure that delegates and aspirants had a peaceful stay .
On security measures for the Christmas and the Ghana 2008 tournament, the IGP said security men would be deployed in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi from December 15, 2007 to February 25, 2008.
He said their operations could cause disruptions in traffic management and appealed to members of the public to bear with the police.
For his part, DCOP Timbilla said a comprehensive traffic management plan had been put in place to ease traffic during the NPP congress on Saturday.
He said to that end, enough Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) men would be deployed at all intersections and the various corridors to manage the traffic.