POLICE INDISPENSABLE IN POOLS (Political Page)

3/10/08
Article: Mary Mensah
The Police are indispensable in the conduct of a free and fair elections. Without the police, maintaining law and order before, during and after election could be difficult.
It is in this connection that Ghanaians are anxious to know the role the police would play in this years general election.
Already violence experienced in some parts of the country attest to the need for the police to be on top of the electoral processes. This requires effective and proactive measures to ensure that the country maintains it profile as a stable democratic country.
As the election approaches there has been series of electoral violence in some parts of the country leading to the perception of insecurity and mayhem, and the spectre of a Kenya or a Zimbabwe occurring here in Ghana.
It is worthy to note that to demonstrate their preparedness for the forthcoming elections, the police have put in place measures to inject efficiency in their operations throughout the country.
23,000 troops will be deployed throughout the country to maintain law and order as well as ensure the smooth running of the electoral process. Security personnel would be deployed to all the centres and areas identify to be flash points would have more security.
To make the work of the police force more professional a National, Regional and District Elections Security Task Forces had been formed as part of the efforts by the police to ensure a peaceful polls and they are already holding a series of fora with the political parties to address their concerns and also collaborate with them to ensure peaceful elections.
Regional Police Commanders are chairing the task force and other members of the task forces in the various regions include representatives from the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Prisons Service and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).
The rest are the Chief Directors from the Regional Co-ordinating Councils, the regional directors of the Electoral Commission (EC), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Information Services Department (ISD).
The task force would ensure that at every given moment there was peace and that the security of the elections was guaranteed.
Since it started work, the task force had identified all the flash points from different perspectives and had mapped up appropriate strategies to deal with them.
The Police have assured all the electorate in the country that there will be adequate security before, during and after the elections and all cases that will be reported to them will be speedily investigated and any person found culpable will be dealt with accordingly.
They have also come out with guidelines to the personnel to ensure a free and fair elections and the dos and don’ts during the electoral processes.
The guidelines which had been circulated to all security personnel is to ensure the safety and security of all elections materials by guarding and escorting them and ensure that voters' queue are orderly managed.
They will also take all necessary measures to prevent violence before, during and after elections and prevent any activity that threatens to disrupt the process.
Carry out lawful instructions of presiding or returning officer of the electoral Commission in relation to the election and stand at the end of the queue at 5 p.m. prompt to ensure no person joins it after 5:00 p.m.
Security personnel are under strict intructions not to take part in the actual administration of the elections, checking ID cards of voters or taking part in the counting of votes and are not to harass or intimidate any candidate or voter. Don’t be partisan, in your actions.
REGISTRATION/ ELECTORAL OFFENCES
The Police has also reminded the electorates that registering or attempting to register as a voter when they know that they do not qualify to do so, registering or attempting to register as a voter more than once at the same registration centre, registering or attempting to register as a voter at more than one registration centre in the country is an offence.
Registering or attempting to register as a voter in the name of another person, dead or alive or preventing or attempting to prevent any person by force or threat of force, either by physical or spiritual from registering as a voter is also an offence.
Knowingly giving false information about oneself for registration as a voter or giving false information about another person for registration as a voter, forging, defacing or destroying any official voter registration paper, challenging or objecting to the registration of a person you know to be qualified, giving voters registration material to any person who is not a registration officer.
Printing any form relating to voters registration without authority from Electoral Commission, disrupting proceeding at a registration centre and doing anything to interfere with the work of a registration official or offering anything to a person to stop him or her from registering to vote.
ELECTORAL OFFENCES CONTINUED
It is an offence to give your voter ID card to another person to vote, forge or counterfeit or fraudulently destroy a ballot paper or the official mark on a ballot paper.
Supplying of ballot paper to any person without authority or selling or offering to sell a ballot paper to any person, purchase or offer to purchase a ballot paper from any person.
If you intentionally put anything other than the ballot paper into the ballot box possess a ballot paper which has been marked with official mark without authorisation, Open, take, destroy or interfere with a ball to box, ballot paper in use or intended to be used for the purposes of an election.
Printing of a ballot paper or anything capable of being used as a ballot paper at an election or making a mark on a ballot paper issued to somebody with the intention of it being counted as the vote of that person is an offence.
Voting at an election at which one is not entitled to vote and voting more than once at an election or interfering with the work of a presiding officer.
Remove posters lawfully posted in connection with the election compel somebody to vote in a particular way, Impede or prevent a otter from freely exercising his/her right to vote Assist a political party or candidate to gain unfair advantage over others, Make or publish by written or spoken word or by song, a false statement about the personal character of a candidate or the conduct of a political party.
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MEDIA
The media were not left out in the plans and security personnel has been advised that the media plays a crucial role in the democratic dispensation of the country and all efforts must be made to assist them in the discharge of their duties.
Personnel had been charged to be are to polite to the media, not intimidate them not give information that can or may jeopardise the conduct of the elections and rather they are to refer media personnel to Public Affairs Director/Unit, or command Headquarters.
GENERAL CONDUCT
On a general conduct the police personnel has been advise to be always alert on duty, punctual, to threat everyone fairly be open and honest. Provide a responsible effective and high-quality service with honesty and integrity Be a team player Use minimum force only when necessary.
They are to refuse gifts, presents, favours, gratitude or promises that could be interpreted as seeking to influence the security officer in the performance of his/her official responsibilities.
Do not leave your polling station during voting, and before counting and declaration of results. After the voting exercise, ensure the security of the ballot boxes to designated sites.
The National Security has given Ghanaians the assurance that the December parliamentary and presidential polls will be held in an atmosphere of peace.
It affirmed that the security apparatus of the country had, in times past, stood the test of time and would rise to the occasion once again to avert any possible threat to the state as the elections approached.
The security agencies has also assured all political parties and the electorate that it will be fair, firm, transparent and neutral in its work before, during and after the December elections.
To this end the security had organised various training programmes to sharpened the skills of its personnel in order to enable them discharge their duties effectively and efficiently.