NO ROOM FOR STANDING -POLICE BOSS WARNS FANS (Back Page)

Story: Mary Mensah
Spectators who will throng the four stadia hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (Ghana 2008) will not have the benefit of the “popular stands”, the Director-General of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Patrick Timbilla, has stated.
He said the practice whereby spectators could enter the stadia without tickets and have free seats or some place to stand to watch matches also belonged to the past.
DCOP Timbilla noted that all tickets had been numbered according to the seats in the various stadia and spectators would have to sit according to the numbers indicated on their tickets.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday, DCOP Timbilla, therefore, advised spectators to be mindful of that and buy tickets in groups if they wanted to sit in groups at the various stadia.
DCOP Timbilla said the security agencies had put in place a number of measures to ensure sanity at the four stadia and would not tolerate supporters who would try to take seats belonging to others by force to create confusion.
He said conventional rules the world over demanded that no alcoholic beverages were sold within and around any stadium and that only accredited sponsors would be allowed to display, advertise or exhibit their products and any insignia within and around the stadium to avoid ambush marketing.
The director-general said to ensure an enjoyable tournament, the Police Administration had re-structured its operational strategy from routine law enforcement and keeping the peace to a proactive paradigm that called for increased police visibility and accessibility through day and night patrols with the view to preventing crimes during the period of the tournament.
He appealed to all spectators to assist the police by submitting themselves to searches at the gates and desist from smuggling into the stadia any unauthorised materials.
DCOP Timbilla appealed to the visiting teams, officials, supporters and tourists to endeavour to respect the laws of the country and asked them not to hesitate in contacting the police for any assistance or providing useful information which would promote peace and a successful tournament.
He appealed to the public to assist the police in the discharge of their duties, adding, “In line with policing practices, security, peace, safety issues and concerns are no more the preserve of police organisations the world over. Policing or security is now a shared responsibility between the security services and the community or the general public.”
The director-general assured the general public that with a comprehensive security management planning in place, supported by a series of training, both locally and abroad, coupled with the high level of collaboration with other security agencies, the police were confident that they would measure up adequately to the task and ensure a successful tournament.