Police Service ready to deploy personnel ahead of December polls

Accra, Aug 31, GNA - DCOP Patrick Timbilla, Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, said the Service had made arrangements to deploy personnel to the 2,355 polling stations in Accra to ensure peace and security ahead of the December polls.

DCOP Timbilla said the police force had also put in place patrol and stand by teams for reinforcement against any violence that would erupt during and after the Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

He said this at a sensitization forum at Achimota Mile 7 in Accra on the need for peace and co-operation on the part of the public before, during and after the impending 2012 general elections.

The forum brought together various stakeholders such as Drivers Association, Opinion leaders, and Neighborhood Watch Committees to chart the way forward in ensuring peaceful elections in on December 7.

DCOP Timbilla said the Police Service had put in place comprehensive security including complex and training programmes for other security agencies to build capacity in ensuring peaceful elections devoid of any fracas.

He said a strategic communication plan had been put in place prior to the impending elections to reach out to its personnel and call for reinforcement when there was violence at the various polling stations across the country.

DCOP Timbilla reiterated the need for partnership and co-operation from the public because policing security was a shared responsibility and urged all and sundry to come on board and divulge information to the police when there was any violence or criminal activities.

He said if all stakeholders played their roles effectively, there would be hope for credible and incident free elections and appealed to all to be abreast with the elections laws and not to fall victim since ignorance of the law was not an excuse.

DCOP Timbilla appealed to religious bodies to use their platforms to preach and educate their congregation on the need for peace and pray for successful elections.

Chief Superintendent Alhaji Mohammed Suraj, Director of Community Policing Unit, said the country had had five successful elections which had gained international respect and hope to maintain that enviable record in the coming elections.

Chief Superintendent Suraj called for support from the public to assist the service perform well because the spate of armed robbery, fraud and accidents was ascending.

Mrs Gladys Binkrah, Electoral Officer for Okai Kwei, said the Electoral Commission would from September 1-10 start the voter's register exhibition and appealed to the public to visit each of the polling centres to check their particulars.

Mrs Binkrah said the exhibition would focus on three areas- the main registration, the exhibition list and the double registration list adding that the EC detected 6,000 people across the country for double registration.

She said the exhibition would afford the public the opportunity to notify the electoral officers of any anomalies such as deceased names, spelling mistakes and major and minor cases for redress.

Mr Nii Okai Laryea, Parliamentary Candidate for the National Democratic Congress, Mr Moses Anim, Parliamentary Candidate for the New Patriotic Party, and other stakeholders used the opportunity to educate the public to ensure peace in the coming elections.

GNA