IGP Cautions police personnel against all manipulations

Story: Mary Mensah
THE Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, has cautioned police personnel against all forms of manipulation by politicians to satisfy the whims and caprices of the politicians.
He advised the personnel not to entertain any biases in enforcing the law, since they were law enforcement officials, not politicians.
The IGP was speaking at the opening of the Regional Police Commanders Conference, which was on the theme, “Election 2012 State of Preparedness of the Ghana Police Service”, in Accra yesterday.
He said the Police Administration expected every law enforcement official to exhibit a certain professional standard of behaviour and discipline which distinguished the enforcement agencies as agents of the law.
In the execution of their duties, he said, police personnel must not discriminate against any voter on the basis of gender, religion, language, colour or political opinion,  as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
Mr Quaye said as political parties began to embark upon their respective campaigns towards the upcoming elections to win the confidence of the electorate, it behoved all stakeholders, such as civil society, state institutions, the media and particularly the security apparatus, to ensure effective and equitable coverage for those events.
He said it was worth noting that the police were legally endowed with certain powers but also had some limitations and, therefore, when it became absolutely necessary to apply force in controlling election violence, they must bear in mind that the voter had the right to life, security of his person and all the freedoms associated with such constitutional provisions.
According to him, violence, intimidation and coercion hindered public confidence in an electoral process and had the potential of increasing civil unrest as a result of lack of trust and confidence in the state security apparatus, especially the Police Service.
Mr Quaye said the nature, extent and magnitude of communal violence, if not checked in the country, could pose a serious threat to national security, the quest for a peaceful democratic transition, as well as the long-term goal of consolidating democratic governance in the country.
For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Mr William Kwasi Aboah, also cautioned the Police Service not to take it for granted that this year’s elections would be conducted peacefully like the previous ones, since each election year came with its unique challenges.
He said as the lead agency and custodian of internal security, the service had so far demonstrated commitment, zeal and preparedness to defend the country at their peril.
In a speech read on his behalf, the minister said since Ghana entered into multi-party democracy in 1992 under the Fourth Republic, five elections had successfully been held in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.
He said there was no gainsaying the role played by the Police Service, in collaboration with other security agencies, in stabilising the country during those election periods.
Mr Aboah was hopeful that the high level of integrity would once again be showcased to overcome the daunting task ahead, come December 7, 2012.
He said the training programme was launched two weeks, ago under the auspices of the British government, to equip and sharpen the skills of about 16,000 security officers across the country to withstand all potential security challenges before, during and after the general election in December.
He advised the personnel to demonstrate professionalism, commitment, non-partisanship and respect the rule of law before, during and after the elections.