Security Agencies have undergone a number of training programme

Story: Mary Mensah
 With barely three months to the general election, the security agencies have undergone a number of training programmes, both locally and internationally, to enable them to discharge their duties effectively to ensure that Ghanaians triumph once again at the polls.
The National Security Apparatus has installed a GOTA system, a  communication gadget to promote timely  and efficient exchange of information among the various security agencies.
This will ensure that security agencies are abreast of information to deal decisively with any untoward situation that might occur before, during and after the elections.
The Police Administration has formed a special high powered National Elections Preparations and Planning Committee to ensure peaceful elections in December 2012.
The committee is under the chairmanship of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Alhassan, and co-chaired by  Commissioner of Police  Madam Rose Bio-Atinga, Director General in Charge of Police Operations.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, has said as the lead security agency tasked to ensure peace in the country, the police will do everything possible to maintain Ghana’s credibility as a beacon of peace.
He said a lot of activities and programmes were currently ongoing, all geared towards preparing the personnel to exhibit high professionalism and to give off their best before, during and after the elections.
Currently the strength of the Ghana Police Service stands at 26,000, but new recruits are under training and they are expected to pass out long before the elections to enable the service to provide sufficient security at all polling stations and collation centres.
According to the IGP, the police administration has also come up with a Joint Regional Security Tax Force, as well as Districts Tax Forces and this will be rolled out as soon as the National Joint Security Tax Force is inaugurated.
Although the Task Force is yet to be inaugurated, a series of meetings to discuss the requisite measures and logistical requirements needed to provide a desirable environment for smooth and successful elections have been held.
A calendar of events for the effective implementation by the National Election Security Task Force, under his chairmanship, has been approved to ensure that the country remains peaceful throughout the electioneering period and beyond. Arrangements have also been put in place to deal with complaints, investigations, the security of ballot boxes and other issues that may crop up before, during and after the elections.
Besides communication gadgets for the personnel , equipment that will enable members of the National Election Security Task Force to monitor the elections, particularly in all trouble-spots, is expected to be installed at the Police Headquarters this month.
For the first time in the history of the service the government has procured 1,000 vehicles to help the police to effectively patrol the country, and the administration has already taken delivery of 274 of the vehicles and the rest are expected before the elections.
The Rapid Deployment Forces have been trained by experts provided by the French, British and German governments on modern crowd control techniques and how to handle emergencies during crowd control, and personnel of the unit are now adequately prepared to meet any untoward security challenges that might arise in the future, especially during electioneering.
According to the IGP, the terrain would be difficult, with the numerous political campaigns which precede the elections and some politicians fuelling violence with their utterances in their attempt to woo voters.
In their quest to improve the confidence level of the police, some personnel have had further training at the Asutsuare and Achiase military training camps, the IGP said.
The SWAT teams which were based at the headquarters to assist in any security challenges that might occur in the future have also been expanded to cover all the regional capitals to curb any attempt to disturb the peace of the country.
Communication is the most effective tool when it comes to the combating of crime or public disturbances and so the police administration, with the help of a Spanish Protocol, have linked all the police regions together through high frequency systems which are complete with VHF for short distances  to link the district and unit commands.
He noted that a state-of- the-art telephone equipment, with enhanced call features that will allow the Police Service to respond to crime reports speedily had been launched in Accra.
The IGP said PABX Telephone System which was presented by VODAFONE Ghana through the initiative of the British High Commission can receive 30 different calls from the public simultaneously and treat in-bound calls with utmost confidentiality.
He said the information room was one facility that was so crucial to effective crime combat and for policing in general as it functioned as the hub of information of the Ghana Police service.
He indicated that with the upcoming general election  police-public collaboration had become even more paramount, and   demanded that more modern gadgets should be procured for the information room as it was the receptacle of the pieces of information, hints, leads and fillers needed to combat crime and to foil any disturbances.
Mr Quaye said the London Metropolitan Police had also provided 7,000 hand held radios (walkie talkies) and plans were far advanced to locate their frequency to enable the personnel to exchange timely information for the advancement of peace .
Desk Officers to receive complaints, investigate complaints and also monitor the status of complaints are to be appointed as part of the measures.
He said the police would count on the support of other security agencies, and that already the sister security agencies were currently working on the number of personnel they could make available for the elections to enable the police to examine how to deploy them.
Mr Quaye said it should be borne in mind that the Ghana Police Service was the lead agency in the election task force and, therefore, all the personnel from the other security agencies would be working under the directive of the police.
He explained that mock exercises would be undertaken to ensure the readiness of the security agencies for the elections, adding that the task force would be meeting political parties and other stakeholders to discuss electoral issues with them.
Concerns regarding the effectiveness of the police on election day have been discussed, and he gave the assurance that “we will not only be on the ground but very effective as well.”
With regard  to the selective investigation and prosecution of cases, he said the desk officers were expected to collate the data of cases for analysis and monitor their status.
He said as part of the measures, the Election Security Task Forces would be independent of the regional and district security committees to check the incidence of interference.
“We will not be considering the shades and colours of electoral offenders but will treat all as equal. This time, it is action and we will prove that to all Ghanaians and the rest of the world,” he said.
The task forces will be engaging the political parties and the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) in particular, the EC and other stakeholders at the national, regional and local levels to ensure that fair grounds are provided to all stakeholders.
The IGP charged the leadership and rank and file of all political parties to equally be prepared to stand  the test since they had a bigger responsibility to play within the rules of engagement.
“This year’s elections are crucial. There is more pressure for Ghana to come out together than divided, in view of the recent bad experiences in a number of African countries after elections,” he said.