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Security Alert For Election

By Daily Guide
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 | Print | E-Mail | PDF | Graphics Version
General News

THE EASTERN Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) George Anko-Bil has inaugurated an election task force for the Eastern Region to ensure that security concerns before, during and after the December general elections in the region are effectively dealt with to maintain absolute peace in the aftermath of the elections.

Inaugurating the task force, which includes the heads of all security services in the region including the Defence Intelligence, Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and Electoral Commission (EC) at Koforidua, ACP Anko-Bil said the task force will serve as trouble-shooters at the so-called 'flash points' in the region and pre-empt violence in any of the 28 constituencies in the region before they degenerate into crisis.

According to the regional police commander, the security services see this year's elections as very crucial since the two main political parties - the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) - have each had a two-term political power and therefore consider this election as a crucial time-break election.

The police officer, who by virtue of his position is the chairman of the task force, indicated however that all efforts would be made to control passions.

“Elections must not be a 'do or die' affair and all political parties must play in the elections game fairly and responsibly,” he stated.

“We have a duty to make the elections incident-free. It will also be the duty of the task force to build the confidence of the electorate in the electoral process as to clear unnecessary suspicions and doubts in the process,” ACP Anko-Bil stressed.

The regional police commander called on all stakeholders, especially the EC and political parties, to play their roles responsibly to ensure successful elections.

Some of the leading members of the opposition who were present at the inuaguration expressed fears that community police personnel popularly referred to as “Kufuor police” would be deployed to the polling stations, but the regional police commander assured them that since the community police were constitutionally not part of the security system, they cannot be given such assignment.

Some of the constituencies noted as flash points in the region are Akwatia, Asuogyaman, Upper West Akim, Affram Plains North and Affram Plains South.

From Thomas Fosu Jnr, Koforidua

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