Election 2020: IGP Assures Political Parties Of Unbiased Policing

The Ghana Police Service has assured political parties of unbiased operations before, during and after the December general elections.

The service says it is poised to deal ruthlessly and impartially with persons who disrupt the electoral process.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, assured that his personnel will exhibit professionalism in their line of duty amidst tensions prior to the elections.

He was speaking at a meeting with representatives of political parties at the police headquarters on Thursday.

“The stakes are always very high when it comes to elections because everybody wants to win,” he noted.

“As a result, some acts of lawlessness such as snatching of ballot boxes, intimidation of voters, attacking voters or electoral official, destruction of electoral materials [occur].”

But the IGP assured that his outfit “will be ready to deal with whoever perpetrates any of these actions. We will arrest whoever engaged in any of these actions.”

Police conduct in the election is expected to be under more scrutiny following the incidents of police brutality that marred the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election in January 2019.

National Security Operatives were also seen firing guns at the polling centre at La Bawaleshie.

Six persons, believed to be supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress, were left injured after the violence.

This led to the formation of a Commission of Inquiry to probe the eruption of violence and police brutality.

Policing in NPP primaries

The most recent electoral activity was the New Patriotic Party parliamentary primaries which witnessed some disturbances that required police intervention.

There was a brawl at one electoral centre whilst some other centres saw heated disputes and threats over disagreements with the electoral album.

An aspirant in the Effiduase-Asokore Constituency of the Ashanti Region was also notably assaulted with fingers pointed at military personnel.

An aggrieved candidate in the Subin Constituency alleged that that the police were working for the incumbent MP.

Police, during the primaries, were seen scuttling alleged attempts at vote-buying .

A man who took a photo of his ballot was arrest by police.

---citinewsroom