Monday, December 10, 2012

Security Was Stable

Story: Mary Mensah    
THE security situation in the country since the start of  voting has generally been stable.
From the beginning of the voting which started at 7a:m and ended at 5p:m there has not been any serious security threat to the process.
According to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Alhassan, the voting process was very smooth.
He said although there was not any serious security challenge to the security agencies they were not complacent, especially as the counting of the votes was very critical.
Mr Alhassan said arrangements had been made for the critical period after voting, and that they were currently changing to the next strategy of the security plan for the elections.
He said Ghanaians had come of age, and that there would come a time when they would not need any security presence while casting their votes.
According to him, security personnel were deployed to the various polling stations in the country, and were at post before the arrival of the Electoral Commission’s officials.
Mr Alhassah said there were reports that some polling stations had no security officers but it turned out that there were either Fire Service, Immigration or Prisons officers but because they did not see any policeman around they said  there was no security presence.
 At the Joint Security Operations room at the information room of the Police Headquarters in Accra, the Director General in Charge of Operations, Commissioner of Police (COP), Mr John Kudalor told the Daily Graphic in an interview that there had been a few complaints but they all bordered on the delay of electoral materials, malfunctioning of machines, long queues and attempts to jump queues but the security personnel  were able to contain the situation.
 He said since the start of voting the security agencies had not had any serious security threat as they were firmly on the ground patrolling the polling stations.
Apart from the delays in the arrival of polling materials and presiding officers they had no complaints.
Meanwhile,  Rose Hayford Darko reports from Tema that the regional police command has arrested 10 alleged machomen whose movements created suspicion at Adjei Kojo, near the Believers Church, at a time the presidential and parliamentary elections were going on .
She said the police were currently keeping them in custody pending further investigations.
The ten men were suspected to be ‘machomen’ found hovering around a polling station near Adjei Kojo on a 33 seat Benz bus with registration number GT 2519 L..
The police did not disclose their names for security reasons .
Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic in Tema, the Tema Regional Police Public Relations Officer , Assistant Superintendent of Police Olivia Turkson, said at about 12 noon  yesterday while the  presidential and parliamentary  elections were going on police had information about a bus loaded with the suspects.
She said the Ashaiman Patrol Team was immediately alerted  to rush to the scene, and they found the bus parked close to  a polling station  near Adjei Kojo.
ASP Turkson said the occupants of the bus were escorted to the Tema Regional Police  Command  for interrogation .
She said a search was conducted on the bus but nothing incriminating  was discovered but the suspects claimed that they were monitoring the election on behalf of the National Democratic Party (NDC).
ASP Turkson said the police had however decided to detain the alleged machomen for further investigations.
She said  the idea of being on a bus close to a polling station raises suspicion and the police were not leaving anything to chance to ensure a peaceful election .
Meanwhile, people who had finished voting decided to wait around to ensure that ballot boxes were protected to avoid any snatching incidents.

National Elections Security Task Force deployed 41,000 personnel for elections

Story: Mary Mensah
THE National Elections Security Task Force (NESTF) yesterday deployed 41,000 personnel from all the security services to police the conduct of the general election at the various polling stations across the country.
There is also a standby force of  5,000 personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) which will be deployed at some strategic locations across the country.
Briefing  journalists in Accra yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, said the plans and strategies had been worked out to deal with any contingencies.
He said the security interventions that were put in place for all political activities led to peaceful electioneering across the country.
He acknowledged the effective contribution of civil society, religious bodies, educational institutions, among others, in the various sensitisation, orientation and continuous education programmes that the security services embarked upon in the run-up to the elections.
Mr Quaye said the core mandate of the police and other security services during the elections was to provide the necessary safe and secure environment for the smooth conduct of the elections throughout the country.
He said the security services were really poised and determined to ensure that Ghana’s envious credential as one of the most reputable, peaceful and stable democratic countries in the world was jealously protected and improved upon in today’s elections.
He said the NESTF had put in place early warning systems and quick response teams at strategic locations at the national, regional, divisional and district police headquarters to deal with any emerging events that had the potential to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the elections.
Mr Quaye, therefore, urged all peace-loving and law-abiding Ghanaians to go about their legitimate political and socio-economic activities freely and without fear or  intimidation because the security services were firmly in control of the peace, security and stability of the state which they had solemnly sworn to preserve.
“Aside these words of assurance, the security services want to use this forum and medium to strongly warn and counsel all individuals or groups who are nursing any plans to disrupt tomorrow’s elections through unwarranted  intimidation and violent  acts against voters by whatever form or means that we are strongly resolved, determined and equipped to confront such individuals or groups head-on, with all the force and power at our disposal and within the remit of the law and our mandate,” he stressed.
He said the warning and advice specifically were targeted at those who could be best described as election-day violence contractors and ballot box-snatching experts.
The IGP reminded them that since 1992, Ghanaians had chosen to travel along the path of democratic rule where “our leaders are chosen by the people through the ballot box”.
“These ballot boxes contain the sovereign will of the people and any person or group of persons who attempt to steal or destroy these ballot boxes are, by indication,  trying to subvert the sovereign will of the people and also by extension destroy the stability and peace of the nation,” he said.
Such election-violence contractors would be considered enemies of the state and be met with full force by the security agencies, Mr Quaye said.
“Let us continue to respect and believe in the competence, ability and integrity  of the Electoral Commission to conduct these elections fairly and transparently, since it has supervised and conducted several successful elections, both in Ghana and outside, since the inception of the Fourth Republic under the 1992 Constitution,” he said.

Govt to construct interchange at Nkrumah Circle-Gidisu

Story: Mary Mensah The government has signed an agreement with the Brazilian government to construct a three-tier vehicular interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle. The $100-million project, which will commence in 2013, is expected to be completed after 24 months. The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, who made this known at the meet-the-press series in Accra last Tuesday, said the first flyover would carry traffic from the Ring Road Central to the Ring Road West. He said in the opposite direction, an underpass had been proposed with a two-lane traffic and the second flyover to connect the Akasanoma Road and the Ring Road West. Mr Gidisu said about $112.74 million of the $3 billion loan contracted by the government from the China Development Bank for various infrastructure in various sectors of the economy had been earmarked for the Oil Enclave roads in the Western Region. Also, about $234 million had been committed for the completion of the La Beach Road (Accra-Tema) project and the Accra Intelligent Management Traffic System project. Additionally, about $180 million was being used to upgrade 400 km of gravel roads to bitumen surfacing and 300 km of earth roads to gravel surface to improve access roads under the Eastern Corridor Multi Modal Transportation projects. He said the ministry maintained its focus on routine and periodic maintenance activities to protect the huge investment made by the government in road infrastructure development. He said as of the end September 2012, routine maintenance had been undertaken on 7,495.km of the country’s trunk road network, 8,500km feeder road network and 945 km of grading work and pothole patching. According to him, the ministry improved revenue generation for the maintenance of the road network, partly through toll collection at New Offinso on the Kumasi-Techiman road, Kubease on the Nkawkaw-Kumasi road and Sawla on the Bole-Wa road. He said the ministry continued to improve major road corridors to promote trade and economic activities and mentioned the Central Corridor road network. Considerable work, he said, had been done on the transport network, such as the Achimota-Ofankor road, the Nsawam bypass, Asikuma Junction-Hohoe, Agona Junction-Elubo and Giffard and Burma Camp roads. Mr Gidisu appealed to all truckers and haulers to endeavour to respect and abide by the axle load limit of 11.5 tonnes per axle, as adherence would forestall premature failure of the highways and, therefore, save the country huge sums of money that were applied annually for the rehabilitation of some of the roads. He said the government had signed a public-private-partnership agreement with a private promoter to design and construct a flyover and vehicular interchange over the Accra-Tema Motorway at the Teshie Link. He said when the project was completed, residents and motorists bordering the Motorway would be able to cross over the Motorway without going through the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange. Mr Gidisu said the project was expected to commence in 2013 and be completed in 24 months, at an estimated cost of $50 million.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Robbery has decreased, according to police

Robbery has decreased, according to police
Story: Mary Mensah
THE incidence of robbery declined in the country for the first half of this year,  the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police Prosper Agblor, has stated.
He said a total of 584 robbery incidents were recorded from January to June, this year as against 684 recorded last year, representinga decrease of14.6 per cent.
Addressing the press  in Accra yesterday, Mr Agblor said statistics indicated that averagely three cases of armed robbery were recorded daily from January to June, 2011.
He said the Ashanti Region topped the list with 176 robbery incidents, followed closely by Greater Accra, 113;  Central with 94, Tema, 56; Brong Ahafo, 34; followed by the other regions, with the Upper East recording the least of four.
He said 191 persons connected with robberies were arrested over the period and 14 lives were lost through robbery, adding that out of the number, 10 persons including one policeman were innocent victims, while four were armed robbers.
Mr Agblor said 183 vehicles were on record as having been snatched from various drivers and road users over the period and out of this number, 81 had been recovered by the police, while strenuous efforts were underway to recover the rest.
He said 50 robbery victims were injured over the period and not less than 33 of the arrested robbers had so far been convicted by the law courts, while 120 firearms were seized by the police over the period under review.
According to the Director-General, there were crime-prone areas where robbers always operated in almost all the regions and the police had intensified night and day patrols in those areas.
Mr Agblor said to enhance investigation of cases by the CID, the Police Administration with the assistance of the Spanish government had introduced the Automated Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) and so far 3,500 data had been automated.
 He said with funds provided by the European Union, the Forensic Laboratory of the service had been modernised with the addition of a DNA laboratory and a ballistics section that can examine all kinds of firearms.
He assured members of the public that the police were on top of the crime situation and had put in place prudent strategies to ensure that people went about their normal duties without fear or favour.
The Director-General advised the driving public, especially commercial drivers, to develop the habit of looking into their driving mirrors as they drove to monitor the vehicles driving behind them so that in case they were being trailed they could quickly drive to a nearby police station to report.
He reminded the media and the public that  the reward system introduced by the current police administration was still in force, adding that any person with a credible information that would lead to the arrest of an armed robber would be adequately rewarded.

Gold robbery case was a hoax — Police

Gold robbery case was a hoax — Police
Story: Mary Mensah
IT has now been established that the alleged robbery of more than 25 kilogrammes of gold worth GH¢1.8 million belonging to a businessman at Tarkwa Nsuaem in the Western Region was a hoax.
Police investigations into the incident have revealed thatthe businessman, Victor Asherifi, concocted the story tothrow dust into the eyes of his many businness partners he owed.
For his action, Asherifi is to be arraigned on charges of deceit of public officer, causing fear and panic and possession of firearms without authority.
According to the Public Relations Officer at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Chief Inspector Joseph B. Darkwah, Asherifi is a known businessman in Tarkwa who deals in gold and has many customers who also deal in gold.
He said the customers had collectively given Asherifi a total of GH¢1,395,994.77 for the supply of gold to them.
He said when Asherifi could not honour his obligations to his customers, he faked the robbery in which he claimed that he had been robbed of 25 kilogrammes of gold he was carrying from Tarkwa to Accra which he had concealed under the driver’s seat in the Toyota Tundra pick-up he was driving on August 1, 2011.
According to Chief Inspector Darkwah, while Asherifi claimed that two  of his workers assisted him to parcel the gold in his office after which one of them assisted him to carry it into the Toyota Tundra pick-up, the two denied ever assisting him in anyway when they appeared before a committee set up by the Police Administration to look into the issue.
He said one of the workers also told the committee that gold purchases they made on that day were only 11 kilogrammes and not 25 kilogrammes.
Besides, it emerged during the investigations that Asherifi never personally travelled to deliver any gold to any of his customers, Chief Inspector Darkwah said, adding that two of his workers usually carried out that assignment on his behalf.
He said it came up during the investigations that Asherifi hardly travelled to Accra and on the few times that he did so, he went with a driver,  and said  it came as a surprise to all witnesses that he was driving to Accra alone with the 25 kilogramme gold.
On Asherifi’s claim that the alleged armed robbers crossed him at a spot which was only five minutes drive to Nsuaem resulting in him running into a ditch, Chief Inspector Darkwah said investigations revealed that his car never ran into a ditch, while it took him close to three hours before he reported the robbery to the police.
He said while policemen who arrived at the scene of the alleged robbery found a pistol lying on the right hand side of the rear seat of  Asherifi’s vehicle, Asherifi claimed in his statement that one of the robbers left his pistol under the driver’s seat after removing the gold.
“The Police Administration states authoritatively that no such robbery incident occurred on the said date and that the victim of the robbery staged the incident to win sympathy from members of the public and prevent his debtors from harassing him,” Chief Inspector Darkwa said, and warned members of the public to desist from acts that would cause fear and panic among the Ghanaian populace and scare away potential investors.
It would be recalled that the August 2, 2011 edition of the Daily Graphic carried a story about suspected robbers who had robbed the businessman of the gold while on his way to Accra.

PASTOR WENT BESERK

Story: Mary Mensah
Bishop Daniel Obinim of International Godsway Church headquatered in Kumasi in the company of two other pastors yesterday went beserk when he stormed the offices of HOT FM an Accra based radio station armed with a crowbar smashing glasses and attacking the host and panelists of a discussion programme.
Obinims reason was that the panelists were discussing an issue which broke out in the media last week about his relationship with the wife of one of his pastors.
The host of the programme, Ntim Ketekyere and the three panelist Shadrach Adu, George Kumi and Reverend Amoako Atta allegedly sustained various degrees of injuries and were treated and discharge at the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
ing Bishop Obinim and he was handed him over to the Accra Regional Police Command for further investigations into the matter.
According to the Accra Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACOP) Rose Bio Atinga yesterday at about 10pm the police had information that some people have attacked the offices of HOT FM at Adabraka and have distroyed properties belonging to the station.
She said the police patrol team quickly proceeded to the station and arrested Bishop Obinim together with Pastor Kofi Akwetey  and Pastor Kingsley Baah Ameyaw both pasters of his church and upon ineterrogation Bishop Obinim stated that at about 9pm while relaxing at home at Ashaleybotwe in Accra he overheard a panel discussion on HOT FM where the panelists were discussing him and casting inspection to his character.
ACOP Atinga said Bishop Obinim said he asked two of his pastors to accompany him to Adabraka to face the panelists and on reaching the studious he confronted the Host and the panelists and the confrontation turned into a serious fight and he was pushed to the glass wall which caused it to shattered into pieces.
The Commander said Shadrach on his part said the issue about his alleged infidelity was being discussed and just as they were about to wrap up the programme he suddenly broke into the studios shouting at the host and panelists and this resulted into a serious confrontation and during the quarrel that ensued between them he used the crow bar to hit the host who fell on the floor and he started stepping on him and using the crow bar to also smashed the glass door and windows.
She said Shadrach managed to sneaked out of the studio and reported the incident to the Adabrake Police who stormed the premises of the station and arrested Obinim and his cohorts and they were all taken to the Accra regional Police Command where