Election 2020: NDC Welcomes Prescribed Uniforms For Police

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has welcomed the announcement that police officers on duty are to wear their prescribed uniforms for policing polling centres.

In a statement commending the police administration, the NDC said this initiative will “sanitize the security situation, maintain law and order on December 7 election day and ensure peace.”

All police officers are to wear the traditional police uniforms which are in the colours of blue-black, black and police camouflage.

Plain clothed officers of the Criminal Investigations and Police Intelligence Departments (CID and PID) will, however, wear their approved overt and covert uniforms with their ID cards readily available for identification.

The police reminder came after some of its officers in the Upper East Region were engaged in a route march wearing brown uniforms and headgear which was their training apparel.

The prescribed uniforms released by the police service

The party feels this development is a by-product of the violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon bye-election in 2019 were instances of police brutality against NDC supporters were recorded on camera at a polling centre at La Bawaleshie in Accra.

Six persons believed to be NDC supporters were also injured during the bye-election.

The NDC also highlighted the need for police officers on duty during the elections to wear name tags, which the police administration have also said will be a requirement on the day.

“It is our contention that the wearing of name tag identification is the surest way to safeguard the integrity and image of the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies that will be deployed for election day security activities.”

Find below the full statement

PRESS STATEMENT ON SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS FOR DECEMBER 7TH POLLS.

23/11/20

The attention of the NDC has been drawn to a circular issued by the Inspector General of Police to the effect that only traditional Police uniforms would be worn on Election 2020 duties and related operations. According to the circular, traditional uniforms for this purpose will be “blue-black/black and camouflage uniforms”.

The NDC believes that these measures derive from the lessons learnt from the embarrassment the Ghana Police Service suffered during the Ayawaso West Wuogon bye election disgrace. We therefore commend the IGP and his staff on plans drawn by the National Election Security Task Force to sanitize the security situation, maintain law and order on December 7 election day and ensure peace. However, the NDC is of the view that the announcement on the authorized uniform to be worn on D-Day will be inadequate without ensuring that all Police personnel and others drawn from other security agencies are properly identified with their names clearly displayed on their uniforms.

This normal dressing requirement for all service personnel should be strictly enforced to assuage fears that some Police uniforms being sewn will find its way into the hands of vigilantes/hoodlums recruited by the ruling Party/government to intimidate and surpress voters in opposition strongholds. Indeed, the NDC takes seriously information making the rounds that persons other than genuine Police officers some of whom were described as National Security operatives who committed acts of brigandage during the Ayawaso West Wogon bi-election last year will be clothed in such Police uniforms to avoid detection.

It is our contention that the wearing of name tag identification is the surest way to safeguard the integrity and image of the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies that will be deployed for election day security activities.

It is noteworthy that at a recent meeting of the Ministry of National Security and a delegation of the NDC, the latter made this same point because we are genuinely concerned about the likelihood of vigilante elements being paraded in Police uniforms to perpetrate acts of intimidation and brutality.

At the same meeting, the NDC delegation also recommended that the Police administration should, for the sake of accountability and ease of reference, keep a register of all personnel who would be deployed at various locations on December 7th and make such a list available in case of any eventuality.

Such additional measures as the NDC has recommended will serve to reassure the citizenry of a free and fair election.

We, therefore, urge the Inspector General of Police to take serious note of our legitimate concerns and act upon them in the interest of public safety and a peaceful election.

Signed

Lt. Col. (Rtd) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey

Director of Operations

NDC 2020 Campaign

---citinewsroom